In this lesson, we're going to talk about an adjective and a noun stemming from the common verb portare. Portare comes from the Latin "portāre," meaning "to carry" or "to bear" (as does the Italian verb portare). It originally referred (and still does refer) to physically carrying or bearing objects or people. One of the 2 words came up in a Yabla video, so it seemed like a good opportunity to shine a light.
Logically, the past participle portato is used in the past tense to mean "carried" or "brought." For example:
Infatti ho portato i soldi.
In fact, I brought the money.
Caption 66, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 20
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Portare takes avere as an auxiliary, a cue telling us portato is a past participle, not an adjective. It's not unusual for past participle forms of verbs to become adjectives or nouns. They are usually related in basic meaning. But in the case of portato, the meaning strayed a bit from the original one. It took on a more figurative sense. "Carrying something" was extended to mean "having an inherent tendency or suitability for something," as if the trait were "carried" within a person. Portato began to describe someone with a natural inclination toward a specific activity or field. We can imagine someone "carrying" a predisposition or "bearing" a natural gift, to go back to the meaning of portare.
In a previous lesson, we talked about being talented or not, using dotato or negato. Portato fits in as a synonym for dotato (gifted) with a slightly different vibe. Dotato might be thought of in terms of being a gift from God or some higher power, and portato, in terms of coming from within, an innate predisposition. But they are often used interchangeably.
In the following example from an Italian TV series about the Milan music conservatory, a violin student has been yelling over some drum riffs in order to hide the sound of his letting off steam. His friend compliments him on his yelling.
E bravo, sei portato.
And well done, you're a natural.
Caption 52, La compagnia del cigno EP 2 - Part 8
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If I say: Sei portato per la musica, I am saying, "You are gifted." "You're a natural." We might use it to describe someone good at learning languages, good at fixing cars, good at cooking, etc.
Invece ha detto che nostra figlia è molto portata per la danza.
But she said our daughter is very gifted in dance.
Caption 25, Provaci ancora prof! S2EP1 - La finestra sulla scuola - Part 9
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Per cosa si sente portata?
What do you feel you're good at?
What's your strong suit?
Caption 28, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep. 1 - Part 11
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Let's remember that, as adjectives, portato, portata, portati and portate have to agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
The feminine past participle of portare evolved into the noun portata, whose core meaning relates to "that which is carried" or "the act of carrying." You might be familiar with the noun una portata in the context of courses of a meal, brought or carried to the table.
La portata evolved into meaning "the extent" or "the range," referring to the span or scope something can reach, carry, or bear, such as physical reach or figurative impact.
Sono pienamente d'accordo sulla portata metaforica del Suo discorso,
I am in full agreement about the metaphorical impact/magnitude of what you are saying,
Caption 14, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 23
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Finally, we have the expression a portata di mano (literally, "within reach of one's hand"). We can shorten it to "within reach."
In inverno consiglio sempre di tenere a portata di mano un ombrello.
In winter I always recommend keeping an umbrella handy.
Caption 22, Adriano Le stagioni dell'anno
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As we see, it can mean "handy," but it can also mean "at hand," or "close at hand" in a figurative sense.
Sarebbe atroce morire proprio ora che la salvezza è a portata di mano.
It would be awful to die right now when salvation is at hand/within reach.
Captions 57-58, Vivere Un'avventura di Vittorio De Sica - Part 1
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We hope you will now know what people mean when they say someone is portato or portata, and if they ask you Hai carta e penna a portata di mano? you will know they're asking if you have paper and pen handy to write something down.
Luckily, many words are similar in English and Italian. Sometimes they mean different things so we call them "false friends," and some of them look and sound similar and also mean similar things. They are our true friends. If they were born of the same original word, etymologically speaking, they are true cognates.
Language nerds throw around the word "cognate" a lot, so it might be nice to look at the origins of this word. Here's what the dictionary says about the word "cognate."
Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin cognātus, from co- same + gnātus born, a variant of nātus, past participle of nāscī to be born. So in plain English, we're talking about words that have the same origin.
But let's get down to the words themselves.
Some words are easy to guess, whether you are translating from Italian into English, or struggling to find a word in Italian.
Here's a partial list of some nouns you don't have to think about too much. These end in à, an A with an accent. In all these cases, that accented à is replaced by a Y in English. Of course, there are other letters in the words that change between the two languages, but they are similar enough that you can probably guess them fairly easily, primarily when you are reading them. You can listen to them in context when you hit "play caption."
l'intensità (the intensity)
Raramente lo schermo ha raccontato
Rarely has the screen told,
con tanta intensità e tanta efficacia
with so much intensity and so much potency
una storia più nuova e più coraggiosa.
a fresher and more courageous story.
Captions 4-5, Trailer ufficiale - La Strada
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la generosità (the generosity)
La generosità di questa terra
The generosity of this land
è celebrata anche nelle specialità della cucina.
is celebrated in culinary specialities as well.
Caption 41, Marche - Opera Unica
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la velocità (the velocity)
Ma lo sai che c'è il limite di velocità qua, ah?
But don't you know there's a speed limit here, huh?
Caption 34, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP6 - Sotto tiro
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la città (the city)
Il fiume Tevere attraversa tutta la città di Roma...
The Tiber river crosses the entire city of Rome...
Caption 12, Anna e Marika - Il fiume Tevere
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la stupidità (the stupidity)
Non mi sembra che la stupidità sia un reato.
I don't think that stupidity is a crime.
Caption 6, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP10 -La verità nascosta
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la libertà (the liberty)
Gestiva il suo tempo in assoluta libertà.
She managed her time in complete liberty.
Caption 12, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP3 - Delitto tra le lenzuola
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la crudeltà (the cruelty)
Quindi senza derivati animali, senza crudeltà.
So, without ingredients derived from animals, without cruelty.
Caption 39, Dolcetti vegan - al cocco e cioccolato
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la familiarità (the familiarity)
Silenzi, che familiarità
Silences, what familiarity
Caption 28, Fiorella Mannoia - Quello che le donne non dicono
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la qualità (the quality)
Al momento dobbiamo privilegiare la quantità alla qualità.
At the moment we have to favor quantity over quality.
Caption 12, La Ladra - EP. 3 - L'oro dello squalo
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la possibilità (the possibility)
E poi, oltre a questo,
And then, beyond this,
ho anche avuto la possibilità di conoscere tantissime persone.
I also had the possibility of meeting huge number of people.
Caption 23, Arianna e Marika - Il Progetto Erasmus
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la probabilità (the probability)
E sappiamo che, con ogni probabilità, c'erano dei riti legati al fuoco.
And we know that, in all probability, there were rituals involving fire.
Caption 56, Meraviglie - EP. 2 - Part 3
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This isn't the only way that Italian words ending in à have cognates. Also, we don't always choose the cognate in English. Instead of "velocity" we say "speed" most of the time in colloquial speech, but you understand the noun "velocity," so you can guess what velocità means. That's the idea anyway. Let us know if this lesson was helpful or not, and thanks for reading.
We have already talked about different meanings and uses of the noun caso (case, chance) — see this previous lesson. In the present lesson, we will further explore expressions using this super common and useful noun.
In a different previous lesson devoted to noticing things in Italian, we briefly discussed the expression farci caso (to notice something / to make an issue of something). Although the different meanings are related, they are different enough to warrant translating them differently.
Non lo so, non ci ho fatto caso, mi dispiace.
I don't know. I didn't notice, I'm sorry.
Caption 41, Provaci ancora prof! S2E3 Dietro la porta - Part 7
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Non ci far caso, che ha avuto una giornata molto difficile.
Don't pay any attention to it, because he's had a very hard day.
Caption 28, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 3 S3 EP1: Ciao famiglia - Part 6
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For more examples and explanations, check out the lesson! There you will find a list of possible English translations. And let's keep in mind that the basic meaning of caso here is "case" (not "chance").
Let's build on another expression we talked about in the other lesson: guarda caso, another nuanced expression with "caso." If we take it apart, it's sort of a command. "Look at what happened by chance." It can be inserted into a sentence just about anywhere, as is.
Here are some examples from recent videos to demonstrate. Guarda caso very often has the connotation of a coincidence that isn't really a coincidence. Something looks like it happened by chance, but was likely planned.
A detective is interviewing a suspect, putting two and two together.
Anche perché chi ha ucciso a [sic] Ramaglia è arrivato in cortile con una motocicletta, e guarda caso tu c'hai una moto.
Also because whoever killed Ramaglia arrived in the courtyard on a motorcycle, and what a coincidence, you have a motorcycle.
Captions 79-81, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP2 Rabbia - Part 10
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All'appello mancano quattro abiti da sposa. Guarda caso, i più preziosi.
At the count, four wedding dresses are missing. As chance would have it, the most costly ones.
At the count, four wedding dresses are missing. What a coincidence, the most costly ones.
Captions 44-45, La Ladra EP. 2 - Viva le spose - Part 13
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This expression was once two words, but at some point in history, the two words became one, as happens with many compound words. Casomai is a rather intriguing expression. The two words are caso (chance) and mai (never, ever). Italian synonyms might be: nel caso che; semmai; eventualmente.
The literal translation is "chance ever." That's very unhelpful and makes no sense. But what the expression actually means is something like "if appropriate," "if at all," or "if anything." "in the event that." We could construe the Italian to mean "if there is ever the chance," and some additional translations could be: "if the situation/case comes up," "if the situation calls for it," "if circumstances permit," "if need be," and sometimes, "just in case." Translating it is tricky, and somewhat subjective, but if you hear it enough and start using it yourself, you'll find it very handy without thinking about what it would be in English.
And, what's more, Casomai is user-friendly, as it's one of those expressions we can throw in wherever we want, without worrying about the grammar. We could include it in the category of expressions such as magari, or mi sa that can stand alone at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence.
Va be', noi casomai torniamo un altro giorno, eh.
OK, if appropriate, we'll come back another day, huh.
Caption 57, Sei mai stata sulla Luna? film - Part 10
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Eh, perché ero qua non posso dirglielo. Casomai dovrebbe essere Lei a dirmi che cosa ci faceva qua.
Uh, the reason I was here, I can't tell you. If anything, you're the one who should tell me what you were doing here.
Captions 4-5, Provaci ancora prof! S1E1 - Il regalo di Babbo Natale - Part 16
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Dopo, casomai... -Yeah. Dopo, magari fra...
Later, if need be. -Yeah. Later, maybe in a...
Captions 47-48, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 15
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Tu non cerchi nessuno. Casomai la polizia.
You're not going to look for anyone. If anyone does, it'll be the police.
Caption 10, Provaci ancora prof! S1E1 - Il regalo di Babbo Natale - Part 11
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We hope this lesson has shed light on some expressions using caso (chance). Let us know if you have questions or comments. You can write to us a newsletter@yabla.com or write a comment in the comment section of any video.
Caso seems like an easy cognate, and it is, indeed, especially when we say something like in ogni caso (in any case).
In ogni caso, è una cosa veramente molto tipica.
In any case, it's a really typical thing.
Caption 40, Anna e Marika Un Ristorante a Trastevere
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Or, caso can mean "case," as in a criminal case.
Quindi voi o risolvete il caso in due giorni, o io sono costretto a togliervelo.
So either you solve the case in two days, or I will be forced to take it away from you.
Captions 80-81, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP1 I Bastardi - Part 21
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But we also find the word caso meaning "chance" or "fate." That's when things start getting a little fuzzy.
Signora, per caso vendete questo tipo di palle di vetro?
Ma'am, by chance do you sell glass balls of this type?
Caption 23, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP1 I Bastardi - Part 23
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Here, we could say, "As chance would have it..."
E guarda caso sembra raffigurare le tre generazioni:
And strangely enough, it seems to represent the three generations:
Caption 14, A Marsala Salvo Agria
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Caso can refer to "the circumstances," so when we say: È il caso, we mean that "circumstances call for something."
Però forse è il caso di farci un salto, eh?
But, maybe we should hop on over there, huh?
Caption 84, Il Commissario Manara S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena - Part 4
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In English, sometimes we just use "should."
We often use this expression in the negative. Non è il caso... This means something is not called for. It's not the right thing to do, best to avoid it. Sometimes non è il caso can mean, "Don't bother," or "It's not necessary."
Grazie, grazie, ma non è il caso. -Sarebbe meraviglioso, bellissimo!
Thanks, thanks, but it wouldn't be right. -It would be marvelous, great!
Caption 97, Il Commissario Manara S1EP10 - Un morto di troppo - Part 4
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That's not all, but we'll pick up this topic again in another lesson. Thanks for reading!
Let's look at 3 ways the cognate realtà is used in Italian. Two of these are relatively easy to grasp.
The most common way to use the noun la realtà is when it means "[the] reality."
E poi, con il blocco totale in casa, lì è stata [sic: stato] il vero confronto con la realtà, della serie "noi dobbiamo organizzarci qui, in questo spazio che abbiamo".
And then, with the total lockdown at home, in that case, it was about really facing reality, like, "We have to get organized here, in this space we have."
Captions 45-48, Fuori era primavera Viaggio nell'Italia del lockdown - Part 5
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Giada aveva completamente perso il senso della realtà, non erano solo i barbiturici il problema.
Giada had completely lost her sense of reality, the barbiturates were not the only problem.
Captions 68-69, Il Commissario Manara S1EP10 - Un morto di troppo - Part 3
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In English, we often leave out the article, but in Italian, we leave it in. With or without the article, the meaning is clear.
The other very common way to use realtà is when we say in realtà, which we can translate literally as "in reality" but in English, we'd more likely say, "actually."
Massimo, senti, io in realtà sono venuta per un altro motivo.
Massimo, listen, I actually came for another reason.
Caption 54, Il Commissario Manara S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero - Part 8
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Here too, we can easily understand what in realtà means.
But there is another way Italians use realtà, and it is to indicate something that exists. It's a bit trickier to translate because it is a very wide-ranging word and doesn't have a single English equivalent. We've listed some possible translations, but there may be more. The important thing is to understand the sense of it when you hear or see it being used.
In a recent episode of La linea verticale, a patient is thinking about the hierarchy of the hospital personnel, as he is being wheeled through the halls to the operating room.
Come in quasi tutte le realtà professionali di questo Paese, anche in un ospedale la rabbia viene scaricata sempre verticalmente...
As in almost all the professional organizations of this country, in a hospital, too, anger is always unloaded vertically...
Captions 1-3, La linea verticale EP 2 - Part 3
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We could also use other nouns, such as "the entities," "the institutions," "the situations," or even "environments." This use might be difficult to wrap our heads around, but we can recognize it because of the context and also what words it is or isn't surrounded by. We won't find the preposition in before it, and we might likely see an indefinite article or a plural article or adjective as in our example above, and in the following ones.
Si andava dall'Alemagna o dal Motta, due realtà che oggi non esistono più.
One would go to Alemagna or to Motta, two enterprises which today no longer exist.
Captions 10-11, L'arte della cucina La Prima Identitá - Part 14
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La cucina contadina, eh, è una realtà culturale molto forte, nella tradizione del nostro Paese.
Country cooking, uh, is a very strong cultural presence in the tradition of our country.
Captions 1-2, L'arte della cucina Terre d'Acqua - Part 13
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We hope that, even though it's hard to grasp, you have been able to learn a new meaning for the noun realtà.
We have already talked a bit about the verb anticipare because it is the opposite of posticipare (to postpone). But let's look at some examples to get a feel for the verb and then look at the noun.
Eh, c'è un caso delicato e ho dovuto anticipare il rientro.
Uh, there is a delicate case and I've had to move up my return.
Caption 65, Il Commissario Manara S2EP9 - L'amica ritrovata - Part 5
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We might just say, "I had to go back earlier" or "I had to return ahead of schedule."
Ma no, sulle prime sembrava che fosse quel giorno, poi invece gli scritti li hanno anticipati e li ho dati un mese fa.
But no, at first it seemed like it was that day, but then they moved the written exams up and I did those a month ago.
Captions 5-6, Sposami EP 4 - Part 25
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If I answer your question before you ask it, you might say:
Mi hai anticipato (you preceded me, you beat me to it).
When I have told you something earlier and refer to it now, I might say something like:
Vediamo un po' in quale altro modo si usa, perché, come ti avevo anticipato, ci sono vari modi.
Let's look a bit into what other way it's used. Because, as I told you earlier, there are various ways.
Captions 2-3, Marika spiega La particella CI - Part 2
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Sometimes, instead of words or information, it's money!
Walter m'aveva chiesto di anticipare i soldi per il viaggio ai Caraibi...
Walter had asked me to advance him the money for the trip to the Caribbean...
Caption 51, Il Commissario Manara S2EP5 - Mondo sommerso - Part 3
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It's also common, when talking about money, to use the noun form we mentioned earlier: un anticipo.
Ma il nostro accordo era un anticipo subito e il resto alla consegna.
But our agreement was an advance payment right away and the rest upon delivery.
Caption 8, Il Commissario Manara S2EP5 - Mondo sommerso - Part 9
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We could also use "down payment" to mean anticipo here. You might ask your boss for un anticipo (an advance).
And when something or someone is early, or arrives early, ahead of schedule, most of the time we say in anticipo. It functions as an adverb.
Sono in anticipo?
Am I early?
Caption 40, Il Commissario Manara S2EP3 - Delitto tra le lenzuola - Part 11
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We can also say con anticipo when we want to say "in advance." Here anticipo is a noun, and it has an adjective in front of it.
Il problema è che spesso le strutture sono sovraffollate, per cui, eh, devi agire con molto anticipo rispetto agli esami che vuoi fare
The problem is that often, the facilities are overcrowded, so uh, you have to act long in advance with respect to the exams that you want to do
Captions 8-10, Anna presenta La gravidanza - Part 2
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But we can also say in netto anticipo (well in advance) and here it again functions pretty much like an adverb. It is more important to be able to use this word than to know its part of speech. Sometimes the confines are blurry.
We've talked various times about the noun il conto. It can refer to "the bill" or "the account," but it's also used in expressions such as per conto di..., or to put it in more personal terms, per conto mio/suo.
What's perhaps important to remember is that it has two distinct (but related meanings). It can mean "of one's own."
Nilde, tu c'hai già mille problemi per conto tuo, il ristorante, Enrica fra i piedi, lascia perdere.
Nilde, you already have a ton of problems of your own, the restaurant, Enrica on your back, forget about it.
Captions 10-11, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 3 S3EP4 Lo stagno del ranocchio - Part 5
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Perché la mi' figliola [mia figlia] c'ha già tanti problemi per conto suo.
Because my daughter has enough problems of her own.
Caption 37, Il Commissario Manara S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso - Part 7
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But it also means "on one's own."
Allora, lei è una che fa finta di starsene per conto suo, ma poi te la ritrovi sempre fra i piedi, una grandissima ficcanaso.
So, she is someone who pretends to be on her own, but then you always find her underfoot, hugely nosy.
Captions 45-47, Provaci ancora prof! S1E4 - La mia compagna di banco - Part 30
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Poi, se ne andarono ognuno per conto suo [sic: proprio].
Then they went away, each on his own.
Caption 33, Ti racconto una fiaba I tre porcellini - Part 1
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You will have to rely on the context to help decide what per conto means in each case.
With sforzo, we have an S at the beginning of a word once again, and we might recognize the word without the S as looking like the noun forza. In fact, forza vs sforzo can cause confusion for non-native speakers of Italian, because they are both about strength, in a way.
In the popular detective series on Yabla, Imma Tatarannni is trying to get some information from the young woman whose boyfriend was murdered. She uses the noun sforzo as she talks to Milena.
Allora, Milena, ascoltami. Ora tu devi fare un piccolo sforzo, va bene?
So, Milena, listen to me. Now, you have to make a little effort, all right?
Captions 23-24, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP2 Come piante fra sassi - Part 16
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We have translated Imma's use of sforzo with "to make an effort" but we might more likely say, "Now you have to try a bit harder." "Now you have to really try."
We have seen that an S at the beginning of an existing word will often change it to an opposite meaning, but it can also reinforce it, and that is basically what is happening in the example above (although this is even clearer when looking at the verb forms forzare and sforzare as we do below).
When you make an effort, you use some reserves of strength. The noun la forza is "the strength" or "the force" (easy cognate!). It's actually a very popular word, so see our lesson all about forza. It's a great noun to know because it's used so much, especially in conversation.
Sometimes it's hard to remember that lo sforzo is a masculine noun and la forza is a feminine noun so let's keep in mind that lo sforzo is "the effort," and la forza is "the strength."
The noun la forza is easy to understand, as it is a cognate of "the force," but is often translated as "the strength."
One example of this noun is the subtitle of a popular biopic about Adriano Olivetti, the man behind the well-known Olivetti typewriter. Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno (the strength of a dream).
Both lo sforzo and la forza are associated with verbs: sforzare and forzare. Sometimes these two verbs mean the same thing, but sometimes we need to distinguish them and that's where it can get tricky. Which to use?
E mi prometti di stare tranquilla, di riposarti e di non sforzare il piede?
And promise me you'll stay calm, rest and not strain your foot?
Captions 1-2, Sposami EP 3 - Part 2
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In this case, we're talking about putting too much pressure on the injured foot. Some people might use the verb forzare to mean the exact same thing, as sometimes forzare means going too far.
In the following example, sforzare is used reflexively to mean "to make an effort," "to try hard."
Piggeldy si sforzò di camminare come si deve.
Piggeldy made an effort to walk properly.
Caption 14, Piggeldy e Federico Il cielo
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Sometimes forzare means "to use force" as implied in the following example.
Eh, qualcuno ha forzato i cancelli del canile comunale, sono scappati tutti i cani,
Uh, someone pried open the gates of the town dog pound, all the dogs escaped,
Captions 68-69, Il Commissario Manara S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero - Part 3
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Of course, as with many verbs, the past participle of forzare may be used as an adjective, and often is. Sforzare, on the other hand, isn't commonly used this way.
La prima settimana di libertà dopo mesi di confino forzato!
The first week of freedom after months of forced confinement!
Caption 26, Il Commissario Manara S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena - Part 1
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When your car gets towed from a no-parking zone, in Italy, it's often called rimozione forzata. This is because they will remove the car without having to ask you. You want to avoid parking in these areas, so these might be a good couple of words to know! To see what these signs look like, here's a link.
As to when to use one or the other verb, don't worry about it too much, as sometimes it depends on personal preference. It's more important to remember about the noun, as we have mentioned above. Also, keep your ears open to notice which word people use in various situations.
P.S. The use of S as a sort of prefix in Italian comes from the Latin prefix "ex!"
P.P.S. Sforza (with an "a" at the end) is not a noun, at least not a normal, common noun. It is used as a proper noun — as a family name, and in particular, it was the name of a Milanese ruling family in the Renaissance, and a power name at that.
A noun that crops up a lot in various contexts is il discorso. It can be tricky to translate because it can mean so many things. At a basic level, we can detect the cognate: the discourse. The English noun discourse is a word we can make sense of, even though we might not use it all that often in everyday conversation. But what does il discorso mean in Italian?
In Italian, un discorso can be a speech, a conversation, a story, or even a theme. In the following example, it seems to mean "theme."
Il discorso simbolico dei balconi prosegue all'interno della casa nobiliare.
The symbolic theme of the balconies continues inside this aristocratic house.
Caption 2, Meraviglie S2 EP3 - Part 11
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While discorso can mean "theme," it's used later in the same episode to indicate either conversation or speech.
Immaginate le atmosfere, i discorsi, i silenzi,
Imagine the atmospheres, the conversations, the silences,
Caption 11, Meraviglie S2 EP3 - Part 11
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It can also mean "discussion" or "argument."
Fine del discorso.
End of discussion.
Caption 20, La Ladra EP. 7 - Il piccolo ladro - Part 10
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But it can also mean other things.
In an argument, in English, you might say, "What on earth are you talking about?" or "What is this nonsense?"
In Italian, you would say something like:
"Ma che discorsi sono?"
or
Che discorso fai?
If you do a search of discorso or discorsi in Yabla videos, you will find plenty of examples in various contexts.
Let's have a look at a noun that can cause some confusion because it's both a true cognate and a somewhat false friend. The noun is aspetto and it looks a lot like "aspect."
It's a cognate when we want to talk about a feature or element of something, an "aspect," un aspetto. It can also be figurative.
Ma c'è un altro aspetto che deve colpire in questa sala e sono certamente i tendaggi del letto a baldacchino, ma soprattutto, guardate attorno a noi, sono le tappezzerie. Sono in seta.
But there is another aspect that is striking in this room, and certainly the curtains of the canopy bed are, but above all, look around us, it's the wall coverings. They are in silk.
Captions 31-34, Meraviglie EP. 1 - Part 4
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Tutti la chiamavano Belle, perché lei era bella sotto ogni aspetto.
Everyone called her Beauty, because she was beautiful in every respect.
Captions 7-8, Ti racconto una fiaba La Bella e la Bestia - Part 1
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But the noun aspetto can also refer to the way something looks, its appearance. It's used with the verb avere (to have) — avere un aspetto (to have the appearance, to look like). If you look in the dictionary, we find this meaning of "aspect," too, in English, but it's formal and not used much.
Però, inizialmente, come abbiamo detto, non aveva questo aspetto.
However, initially, as we have said, it did not look like this.
Caption 3, Meraviglie S2 EP 2 - Part 6
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Mangio tanto tutti i giorni. -Ma dai! Dal tuo aspetto non si direbbe proprio.
I eat a lot every day. -Really! By your appearance, I wouldn't say so at all.
Captions 4-5, Daniela e Francesca Il verbo mangiare
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Commissario... ha un aspetto terribile!
Commissioner... you look terrible!
Captions 2-3, Il Commissario Manara S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 7
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In English, "aspect" has more to do with the mind, but in Italian, aspetto is often used to refer to the physical attributes or the appearance of something or someone. It's just something to keep in mind.
And let's not be confused by the fact that aspetto is also the first person singular conjugation of the common verb aspettare (to wait).
Although it means "to wait," Italians often say ti aspetto to mean, "I'll look forward to seeing you" or "I'll be expecting you." For example, Marika says it at the end of many of her videos.
Ti aspetto nel prossimo video
I'll be waiting for you in the next video.
Caption 56, Marika spiega I segni dello Zodiaco - Part 1
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This lesson is based on the premise that you basically know how to form the plural of nouns. To help you get caught up, very generally, if a noun ends in "o," it's usually masculine and the plural usually will end in "i." If it ends in "e," the plural will also likely end in "i", and if a singular noun ends in "a," (usually feminine), the plural will most likely end in "e." To learn more, check out Daniela's lessons about plurals here and here.
There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. In two different videos this week, we find unconventional plurals, one of which is well worth knowing, and one that you likely won't run into every day.
In one video, Arianna goes to Lucca. She learns that Lucca still has its ancient walls: le mura. The singular is il muro (the wall).
Le mura hanno tutto un percorso sopra che puoi fare,
The walls have a path on top that you can go on,
Caption 63, In giro per l'Italia - Lucca - Part 1
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To help you remember the name for "wall," in Italian, think of a mural, which is a piece of art, like a painting or enlarged photograph, right on a wall. Or think of "intramural" — within the walls of a school or institution.
Anna and Marika are busy in the kitchen dealing with fish, and more specifically, anchovies. They are pretty small fish, so taking out the guts is a tedious job they gladly leave to the fish vendor.
You might be familiar with the adjective interiore (inside, internal, interior) but there is a noun, le interiora, which means "the guts," "the entrails," or "the internal organs," and is always in the plural: interiora.
Le alici dovranno essere, ehm... senza testa e eviscerate. Quindi bisogna togliere le interiora.
The anchovies should be, ehm... without their heads and gutted. Therefore, one needs to remove the entrails.
Captions 13-15, L'Italia a tavola - Involtini di alici - Part 1
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And let's not forget some other unconventional plurals that work pretty much the same way:
un uovo, due uova (one egg, two eggs)
Prendiamo una forchetta e iniziamo a sbattere le uova...
We take a fork and begin beating the eggs...
Caption 13, Adriano - Pasta alla carbonara - Part 2
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un braccio, due braccia (one arm, two arms)
Ma com'è? E com'è? C'ha due gambe, due braccia, due occhi, come deve essere?
But what's she like? And what's she like? She has two legs, two arms, two eyes. What should she be like?
Captions 13-14, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP3 - Delitto tra le lenzuola - Part 4
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un miglio, due miglia (one mile, two miles)
La Mille Miglia è la corsa più bella del mondo!
The "Mille Miglia" [one thousand miles] is the greatest race in the world!
Caption 33, La Mille Miglia - del passato per vivere quella di oggi - Part 3
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un migliaio di, poche migliaia di (about a thousand, a few thousand)
Il debito era di poche migliaia di euro.
The debt was of a few thousand euros.
Caption 40, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero - Part 14
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un paio, due paia (a pair, two pairs)
Ma quattro paia di scarpe vanno bene lo stesso.
But four pairs of shoes are fine, too.
Caption 52, Psicovip - I Visitatori - Ep 14
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This list is not complete, but we'll look at other such nouns in a future lesson.
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