It's common in Italian to find words beginning with a (usually meaning "to" or "towards") followed by a double consonant. Often, these words stem from other root words. Before becoming one word, there were two. When two verbs become one (univerbiazione), the initial consonant of the second word likely gets doubled—for example, the double m in ammettere (to admit). The verb ammettere contains the verb mettere (to put) and the preposition a (to, at). See this lesson about ammettere.
Però devi ammettere che ha agito a fin di bene.
But you have to admit that his actions were for a good cause.
Caption 8, Sposami EP 4 - Part 13
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Accanto (beside). Canto (the noun we see within accanto), besides having to do with song and singing, also means "corner" or "border." Accanto can be both a preposition and an adverb, depending on how it's used. When it's a preposition we find it in the "normal" word order (after the verb and before the indirect object), and it might also have an additional preposition following it, in this case, a (to, at).
Come puoi continuare a vivere accanto a quell'uomo così cattivo?
How can you continue to live at the side of such an evil man?
Caption 31, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 16
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But when it's used as an adverb, it can follow both the verb and the object.
Lo segui, gli stai accanto.
You guide him, you're at his side.
Caption 25, La compagnia del cigno EP4 - Part 4
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It's useful to be aware of this phenomenon of adding a to the beginning of a word. It's used when turning a noun into a verb, for example. This helps us both to understand the verb and to figure out the noun. We can also try inventing a verb from a noun and it might just be right!
Affrettare (to rush). This verb was made out of the noun la fretta (the hurry).
Ma non ti sembra un po' affrettato? -Affrettato?
But doesn't it seem a bit rushed to you? -Rushed?
Captions 10-11, Stai lontana da me Rai Cinema - Part 17
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Appresso (near to)
We discuss the preposition appresso in contrast to presso in this lesson.
E Brunella, una compagna della nuova classe che si porta sempre appresso il fratellino di sei anni.
And Brunella, a friend from his new class who always takes her six-year-old little brother with her.
Captions 5-6, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 15
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Addosso (on)
And we talk about addosso in this lesson.
Abbiamo la stampa addosso...
We have the press on our backs...
Caption 92, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP4 Gelo - Part 10
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Io questo ciondolo l'ho visto addosso a qualcuno.
I've seen this pendant on someone.
Caption 30, Il Commissario Manara S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu - Part 14
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Here again, we've seen addosso (like accanto) as both a preposition and as an adverb. It is not important to know which part of speech it is; it's just important to know how to use the words and to understand them.
Allora is discussed in this popular lesson.
Allora is one of the most popular words in the Italian language. It has various nuances and is commonly used as filler.
Allora, tu ti chiami Chiara, vero?
So, your name is Chiara, right?
Caption 46, Liberi tutti EP7 Quanto vale una pera al Milanetto? - Part 6
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But allora can also mean "at that time." You can see the word ora (time, hour) within allora.
E da allora, non ho più avuto problemi con la giustizia.
And since then, I haven't had any problems with the law.
Caption 16, Provaci ancora prof! S2E4 L'amica americana - Part 26
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Aggirare (to skirt, to circumvent). Here, the verb aggirare seems like a shortcut to replace girare intorno.
Siamo diventati un paese dove siamo esperti nell'arte di aggirare gli ostacoli.
We've become a country where we're experts in the art of skirting obstacles.
Caption 31, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP1 L'estate del dito - Part 18
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Addetto (in charge)
Here we can discern the past participle — detto — of the verb dire (to say, to tell). So, someone has been told to take care of something.
Si chiamava Sandro Stefani, quarantacinque anni, lavorava qui, era addetto alla fermentazione del vino.
His name was Sandro Stefani, forty-five years old, he worked here. He was in charge of wine fermentation.
Captions 41-42, Il Commissario Manara S2EP8 - Fuori servizio - Part 1
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We've only touched on some of the Italian words that fall into this loosely-fashioned category. The words are kind of fun to discover and take apart. Please write to us about any similar words you come across in your Italian studies. And... thanks for reading.
Let's look at some different ways people say, "I don't think so." In English, we have "so" at the end, and we might wonder how to translate it. In some cases, we can add a pronoun, but often, it's left out entirely. As you will see, different verbs work a bit differently from one another, so we need to keep them straight. Of course, it's perfectly OK for you, as you learn, to say it the same way every time, but someone might use one form or another, so you'll want to be prepared to understand them. There's more than one way to skin a cat!
We're talking about responding (in the negative) to questions such as:
*Hai il mio numero di telefono (do you have my phone number)?
Non mi pare (I don't think so).
Non mi sembra (it doesn't seem so to me).
Non credo (I don't believe so).
Non penso (I don't think so).
*Quella donna è sua moglie (is that woman his wife)?
Non mi pare (I don't think so).
Non mi sembra (I don't think so, it doesn't seem so to me).
Non credo (I don't think so, I don't believe so).
Non penso proprio (I really don't think so).
Let's look at these verb choices one by one.
You might remember a lesson where we talked briefly about the verb parere. In addition, let's remember that il parere is also a noun, meaning "the opinion."
So if you want to answer a question in the negative, you can say, Non mi pare (I don't think so).
Non lo so, cambiamenti nell'atteggiamento, nell'umore, nel modo di vestirsi, cose così. -No... no, non mi pare.
I don't know, changes in her behavior, in her mood, in the way she dresses, stuff like that. -No... no, I don't think so.
Captions 15-16, Il Commissario Manara S2EP3 - Delitto tra le lenzuola - Part 5
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Sembrare (to seem) is a bit tricky because, like parere, it's often used with an indirect object or personal pronoun. In everyday conversation, we often find the construction mi sembra che... or non mi sembra che... (it seems to me that... it doesn't seem to me that...). Or we just find non mi sembra. Here we have to keep in mind that sembra (the third person singular of sembrare) includes the subject pronoun "it" or possibly "he/she." Translating it literally is just a bit awkward. In English, we tend to simplify.
Ma non ti sembra un po' affrettato? -Affrettato?
But doesn't it seem a bit rushed to you? -Rushed?
Captions 10-11, Stai lontana da me Rai Cinema - Part 17
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We couldn't find an example in Yabla videos with the simple answer non mi sembra, but we can answer the question "Rushed?" in the previous example with it: Affrettato? Non mi sembra (rushed? I don't think so). We can dress up the answer with proprio or, since it is in the negative, with affatto ([not] at all) Non mi sembra affatto (I really don't think so, I don't think so at all).
So with parere and sembrare, we often use the indirect personal pronoun (to me, to him, to them, to you) but with our next words, credere (to believe) and pensare (to think) we don't. They are just "normal" verbs.
Another word that is used a lot in this context is the verb credere (to believe). It goes together nicely with proprio (really). Proprio means lots of things, so see our lesson about it for more information. In English, we often use "think" instead of "believe" out of habit. In many cases, "believe" would be fine, too.
Forse un imprenditore americano non le parlerebbe così. -No, non credo proprio.
Maybe an American industrialist wouldn't talk about it like that. -No, I really don't think so.
Captions 40-41, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 13
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We have seen this verb many times before, but we include it here, because it might be the easiest to remember, corresponding to the English verb "to think."
Cos'è, bigiotteria? Non penso. Rubini e filigrana d'oro.
What is it? Costume jewelry? I don't think so. Rubies and gold filigree.
Captions 70-71, Il Commissario Manara S2EP12 - La donna senza volto - Part 4
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We've provided some quick and easy negative answers to questions asking our opinion or judgment about something. When we use any of these verbs in longer sentences, we might need the subjunctive if the verbs are followed by the conjunction che (that, which). There are other ways to use these verbs without the subjunctive and we will explore these in a future lesson.
Practice:
Try asking yourself some questions and experiment with the different verbs. Here's a start:
Pioverà (is it going to rain)?
Arriveremo in tempo (will we get there in time)?
Hai abbastanza soldi per pagarlo (do you have enough money to pay for this)?
La pasta è cotta (is the pasta cooked)?
This lesson looks at some colloquial expressions from the last segment of Stai lontana da me, a romantic comedy.
When asking for confirmation of what you have said, here’s one way:
Dico bene, tesoro?
Am I saying it well [am I right/am I telling like it is], dear?
Caption 31, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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The prefix ri is similar to “re” in English: it's used to repeat something:
No, hai ridetto Monica.
No, you re-said "Monica" [you said "Monica" again].
Caption 50, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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Niente di niente is colloquial but used quite a bit in everyday speech. In fact, there are two instances in this segment. We can translate it colloquially: “no nothing,” or, in correct English: “nothing at all.”
E, in due anni, zero litigate.
And in two years, no fights.
-Niente di niente, è un vero paradiso.
-No nothing, it's true paradise.
Caption 55, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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E poi a Sara non è successo più un incidente.
And then Sara hasn't had any more accidents.
-No, no, niente di niente.
-No, no, nothing at all.
Caption 70, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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Stra is a prefix meaning “extra” or “over.” It’s used quite a bit to mean “super” or “mega” in colloquial speech, although there are more mainstream words with this prefix, such as stravecchio (very mature or old), stracotto (as an adjective, “very well-cooked”; as a noun, “meat stewed a long time”), stravedere (to think the world of), straviziare (to overindulge).
Jacopo’s client used very colloquial speech:
...Cioè perché stra-pesante, cioè una noia totale.
...That is, because super heavy duty, that is, a total bore.
Caption 57, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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His use of cioè (that is) is very close in meaning to "I mean," in English, which some people sprinkle throughout their speech. Ciò is one of those words that in the beginning was two separate ones: ciò (this that) and è (is).
Quasi quasi literally means “almost almost.”
Quasi quasi non ci lasciavamo.
We almost didn't break up.
-Ciccì, cicciò, due palle, dottore.
-All that lovey-dovey, what a downer, Doctor,
A noi ci piaceva litigare.
we liked fighting.
Captions 58-59, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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Some alternative translations:
We were seriously thinking of not breaking up.
We were of a mind not to break up.
Here’s an expression to justify asking someone a question. Most Italians know this expression or saying, and some use it automatically. In English, we might say, “There’s no harm in asking.”
E poi domandare è lecito e rispondere è cortesia.
Besides, asking is allowed and answering is polite.
Caption 64, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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