Whether you're cheating or being cheated, you'll want to know the words Italians use to talk about cheating. In this lesson we will discuss two words that have come up in Yabla videos.
There are two fun words in Italian that mean essentially the same thing. They seem to come from different roots, but Italians use them pretty much interchangeably as we will see. But let's look at these two words separately.
The noun form trucco is better known to us with its English cognate "trick." Its usual meaning in Italian is "expedient," as in the following example.
Un buon trucco è quello di lavare i piatti
A good trick is to wash the dishes
usando l'acqua di cottura della pasta,
using the water from cooking pasta,
che ha un alto potere sgrassante e detergente.
which is a powerful de-greaser and detergent.
Captions 23-25, Non beviamoci su - Risparmio dell'acqua
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We also use il trucco to mean "makeup." We are, in a way, falsifying how we really look when we use makeup. We try to enhance our physical appearance. It's used as a collective noun, as is "makeup."
Bene. Allora vatti a provare il vestito e le scarpe.
Good. Then go and try on the dress and the shoes.
Ma non ho finito con il trucco.
But I haven't finished with the makeup.
Captions 53-54, La Ladra - Ep. 5 - Chi la fa l'aspetti
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In fact, falsifying is what truccare is all about. Putting makeup on is a socially acceptable way of falsifying one's facial aspect, of course, but there are other more sinister ways to falsify things. In a recent episode of La Ladra, there is a corrupt mechanic who soups up cars for illegal races. The car has been enhanced.
Eh, che dice?
Hey, what does he say?
Dice che c'ha un giro de [romanesco: di] auto truccate e de [romanesco: di] corse clandestine.
He says he has an operation involving souped-up cars and illegal races.
Lo sospettavo.
I suspected that.
Captions 71-73, La Ladra - EP. 8 - Il momento giusto
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In shady businesses, the books will likely be falsified. There are colorful words we can use in English, such as "to doctor," "to cook," "to fix," "to load the dice." One choice in Italian is truccare.
Allora Natoli, Salmastri ha truccato i bilanci e questo è chiaro.
So, Natoli, Salmastri has doctored the financial statements and this is clear.
Però non capisco perché.
But I don't understand why.
Captions 1-2, La Tempesta - film - Part 23
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The verb taroccare, on the other hand, comes from the plural noun tarocchi, which means none other than "tarot cards." It's important to realize that tarot cards started out as cards to play card games with. It was only later that they were used specifically for divination. Tarot cards or tarocchi are still used throughout much of Europe to play conventional card games without divinatory associations. Learn more about this here.
Cheating at cards and games has most likely always existed and this concept might contribute to the use of taroccare to mean "to falsify." As we can see in the following example and the one mentioned above, Paolo in La Tempesta uses both truccare and taroccare when talking about falsifying the books. They sound pretty similar, too.
Paolo, che succede, eh?
Paolo, what's going on, huh?
Sei una serpe, sei una viscida serpe!
You're a snake, a slimy snake!
Hai taroccato i bilanci dell'azienda per spaventare gli azionisti.
You falsified the financial statements of the company to scare the stockholders.
Captions 12-14, La Tempesta - film - Part 23
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Whichever word you decide to use, Italians will understand just fine. If we want to be more refined, we could say that if you are thinking of putting some fake license plates on a car, you would probably use taroccare, but if you are just beefing up a motor, or adjusting a few numbers in a register, you might go for truccare. If you are enhancing the sound of a recording by adding artificial reverb, or photoshopping a photo, truccare is fine to use without going to jail. Taroccare can be left to illegal or shadier enterprises.
The video example from La Ladra could have used the verb taroccare just as well, since it often refers to cars, motorcycles, etc. It's a matter of personal choice, as well as regional, local, societal tradition.
If you haven't seen La Tempesta, it's available in its entirety on Yabla, with subtitles in both Italian and English (that you can see or hide as you go), and plenty of exercises to help you retain what you hear in the video. It's a fun movie for learning Italian, and takes place in Treviso, a city in the Veneto region of Italy.
It's coming on winter, at least in the northern hemisphere, where Italy is located.
In many places in Italy, people heat their houses using wood. Or, In the country and in small villages, lots of people have fireplaces in their kitchens.
Right and wrong. In English, we think of wood as wood, whatever its use. But in Italian, there are two similar but different words, depending on what we do with the wood.
To construct something we use legno (wood), a masculine noun. This has its root in the Latin noun "lignum."
Interestingly, Italians use two basic prepositions with legno to correspond to "wooden": in and di which can both mean "of."
Questo meraviglioso piano in legno
This marvelous wooden surface
si chiama spianatoia
is called a pastry board
e serve proprio per impastare la nostra pasta fresca.
and it's used exactly for making our fresh pasta dough.
Captions 90-92, L'Italia a tavola - Culurgiones D'Ogliastra
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Veniva impastato in casa,
The dough was worked at home,
proprio su quella superficie di legno
right on that wooden surface
e poi messa [sic: messo], questo impasto,
and then this dough was put
su quella specie di tavola, veniva portato al forno,
on that type of wooden board and brought to the oven,
perché in casa non c'erano dei forni.
because there were no ovens in houses.
Captions 64-68, Meraviglie - EP. 1 Part 12
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To build a fire for heating or cooking, we use the feminine noun la legna. This comes, again from the Latin, from the plural of "lignum": "ligna." In fact, la legna, just like the collective noun "firewood," usually refers to a collection of pieces of wood to be used for burning.
If we ask what kind of wood is used, then we can use legno. In the following example, someone is asking the pizzaiolo what kind of wood he uses in his forno a legna.
Quello è il forno a legna. Che legno usate?
That's the wood oven. What kind of wood do you use?
Captions 39-40, Antonio - presenta la Pizzeria Escopocodisera
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To be even more specific, we can expand on legna: legna da ardere (wood for burning/firewood). The following example is from a fascinating video on Yabla about olive trees and making olive oil.
Quando avveniva questo distacco delle due parti dell'ulivo,
When this detachment took place of the two parts of the olive tree,
una della due parti veniva sacrificata come legna da ardere.
one of the two parts was sacrificed as firewood.
Captions 47-48, Olio Extra Vergine Pugliese - Introduzione e cenni storici
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The fireplace is often called il camino (note the single M) and more often than not, the diminutive is used: 
In place of la caldaia (furnace, hot water heater), some people have una stufa a legna (wood stove).
And let's not forget that the best pizza is said to be made in a forno a legna (wood-burning oven). In these cases the preposition a is used, referring to the function. What makes it run?
Peppe ha infornato la pizza nel forno a legna, che è un forno tradizionale.
Peppe has put the pizza in the wood oven, which is a traditional oven.
Caption 48, Antonio - presenta la Pizzeria Escopocodisera
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This goes for bread, too.
Antico a lievitazione naturale, cotto a legna, ci sono altri tipi...
Traditional sourdough, baked in a wood oven, there are other kinds...
Caption 64, Anna e Marika - Il pane
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Now you know the difference between legno and legna. They are both right; you just need to know the context.
In a foreign country, knowing how to address people can be a challenge. In English, we have to know whether to be on a first name basis or not, but Italians works a bit differently.
First of all, you need to know whether to be formal or informal. Italians may refer to this as dare del lei (to give the formal "you") or dare del tu (to give the informal "you"). Check out this lesson about the ins and outs of this.
During the period of Italian Fascism, there were strict rules about how to address other people. It's a fascinating story and Yabla has featured a documentary about Fascism and Italian language. Check out the relative lesson: What's the Story on Voi in the Singular?
It's interesting that Italians very often use the equivalent of "ma'am" and "sir" instead of using someone's name: signora and signore.
Sì, signora, dica.
Yes, ma'am, what is it?
E mio marito non è rientrato stanotte e non ha nemmeno avvertito...
My husband didn't come home last night and he didn't even let me know...
e... non è mai successo.
and... it's never happened before.
Sono molto preoccupata.
I'm very worried.
Venga nel mio ufficio, signora.
Come into my office, ma'am.
Captions 15-19, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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Keep in mind that often, signora and signor are commonly used before a first name. It's midway between formal and informal.
Signora Caterina, non si preoccupi per Brigadiere,
Miss Caterina, don't worry about Brigadiere,
perché l'ho portato alla pensione Abbaio Giocoso e starà benissimo.
because I took him to the kennel "Playful Barking" and he'll be just fine.
Captions 39-40, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP6 - Sotto tiro
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We've also talked about the fact that Italians use the term dottore (doctor) when wishing to treat someone with respect, regardless of whether the person is an actual doctor, or whether he has a PhD. The Dottore is In.
And, like dottore, they will use a title without the name of the person. For instance, in the story of Adriano Olivetti, he was an engineer, so people — especially people who worked with him — would just call him Ingegnere (engineer), without his name.
Ingegnere, Lei mi sta facendo una proposta incredibile.
Sir, you are making me an incredible offer.
Caption 46, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep. 1
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Lastly, at school, the actual name of the teacher seems to be of relatively minor importance when addressing him or her directly. You simply call your teacher Prof, short for professore (professor, teacher) if you are allowed to by the teacher. When speaking more formally, students will use professore or professoressa, once they leave primary school. If they are still in primary or elementary school, they will use maestra (schoolmistress) to refer to a female teacher. On the subject of the schoolroom, Yabla offers an original content series about the regions of Italy. It's set in a classroom with Anna as the student and Marika playing the (often mean) teacher. How does Anna handle this? It might depend on the mood of the professoressa. Check out the videos here.
Guardi, Lei ha studiato, perché Lei ha studiato,
Look, you've studied, because [and I see] you've studied,
ma mi sta antipatica oggi e quindi Le metto sette.
but I find you disagreeable today and so I'll put down a seven.
Ma prof, ma sono venuta volontaria. -E ho capito,
But teacher, I volunteered. -Uh, I get it,
però mi gira così.
but that's how it's hitting me today.
Captions 88-91, L'Italia a tavola - Interrogazione sulla Liguria
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Yabla offers the TV series, Provaci ancora Prof as part of its growing library. The title is a takeoff on Woody Allen's Play it Again, Sam.
A student is speaking to his teacher:
Prof, si unisca a noi.
Teach, join us.
Caption 57, Provaci Ancora Prof! - S1E2 - Un amore pericoloso
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Of course in American English, we would use Mr., Mrs., Ms, or Miss and the last name of the teacher. The translation we have given is very informal, and calling a teacher "teach" would likely be frowned upon in most schools. But in Italy, it's the norm in many school situations. Good to know!
More about meeting and greeting formally and informally here: I say hello; you say goodbye
This lesson is simply a crossword puzzle in Italian, especially for you, inspired by the Yabla video: In cucina con Arianna - la panzanella - Part 1. The puzzle will be easier if you have watched the video, but it's not essential.
Divertitevi! Have fun!
Buongiorno. Oggi siamo in Toscana.
Hello. Today we're in Tuscany.
Su questo tavolo potete vedere tanti e coloratissimi ingredienti
On this table, you can see lots of very colorful ingredients
e voi vi chiederete "per fare cosa?"
and you must be asking yourself, "to do what?"
Per, ehm, preparare una buonissima ricetta della tradizione toscana.
To, uh, make a really good recipe from the Tuscan tradition.
Captions 1-4, In cucina con Arianna - la panzanella
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Here is a link to the solutions.
Here you will find the answers to La Panzanella crossword puzzle:
Here are the answers:
Across:
4) per togliere il sapore forte della cipolla, la si mette nell'acqua
9) il contrario di "facile": difficile
10) in nessun momento: mai
11) in un paese straniero: all'estero
12) con piacere: volentieri
14) ovunque: dappertutto
15) il sapore di questa verdura è forte: cipolla
Down:
1) fare una domanda: chiedere
2) una parola toscana per "radici": barbe
3) la regione da dove viene la panzanella: toscana
5) un altro modo di dire "veramente": addirittura
6) non fresco quando si parla di pane raffermo
7) un verbo che vuol dire "avere il gusto", e anche "avere conoscenza di": sapere
8) un modo per tagliare il pane: a fette
13) la panzanella si fa con il pane
We look forward to your feedback! Troppo facile? Troppo difficile? Funziona bene?
A presto!
There's a wonderful word that is a bit tricky to say, because there is a double "d," then a single "r", then a double "t" and then a single "r". Whew! But it's worth the trouble (and worth practicing). Addirittura. It means several things and is simply a great word to have handy, for instance, when expressing astonishment:
Addirittura?
Really?
Caption 34, Chi m'ha visto - film - Part 22
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The man saying this, if speaking English, might have said, "Seriously?"
It can mean, "as a matter of fact":
E mi sembrava addirittura che i toscani lavorassero troppo poco.
And as a matter of fact, it seemed to me that Tuscans worked too little.
Caption 42, Gianni si racconta - Chi sono
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We can often translate addirittura with a simple "even."
E questa sera mi ha addirittura raggiunta in studio la mamma del povero Martino.
And this evening, poor Martino's mom even came to the studio to join me.
Caption 43, Chi m'ha visto - film - Part 18
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A less word-for-word translation might have been:
Poor Martino's mom came all the way to the studio to join me.
But it's a strong word and "even" doesn't always do it justice.
It can mean "as far afield as," "as much as," "as little as," "to the point that," "downright," and more.
Sembri la Befana. Eh! Addirittura!
You look like a witch. Hey! That bad?
Captions 8-9, La Ladra - Ep. 7 - Il piccolo ladro
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Ce ne sono due grandi internazionali
There are two large international ones
eh... a Pisa e Firenze, ma addirittura altri sette piccoli aeroporti.
uh... in Pisa and Florence, but in fact there are seven other small airports.
Captions 69-70, L'Italia a tavola - Interrogazione sulla Toscana
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As you might have figured out, addirittura can have to do with extreme measures or something exceptional. It can be useful when complaining or when justifying something you did:
L'ho controllato addirittura tre volte (I went so far as to check it three times).
Tip: Go to the videos page and do a search of addirittura. You will get dozens of examples where addirittura is a stand-alone expression and others that will be part of a sentence. To get even more context plus the English translation, go to "Transcripts" and do the same kind of search with command-F. The word will be highlighted. Reading the sentence out loud will give you plenty of practice.
In this week's episode of La Ladra, there's a curious adjective (in the form of a past participle). Eva and Dante are discussing the popularity of their dishes, a ginger risotto and seafood couscous.
The adjective is gettonatissimo, the superlative form of gettonato. It comes from the verb gettonare. But let's backtrack a moment and talk about the noun the verb comes from: il gettone.
Depending on your age, and if you have travelled to Italy, you may or may not have heard of a gettone, the special token people would use, back in the day, to make phone calls in a bar or cabina telefonica (phone booth). It was a coin with a groove on either side.
In addition to using gettoni for making phone calls, people used them for playing songs on the juke box. It was common to go to the bar to make phone calls, and there would often be a little booth where you could use the phone in private. In the same bar where you might make a phone call, there might also be a jukebox.
So if lots of people put a gettone in the juke box for a particular song, we could say that song is gettonata. These days, gettoni are used at laundromats, for supermarket carts, and at carwashes, but little else. The term gettonato has remained, however, to describe something as popular, something that people choose over other things.
Stasera sei tu in vantaggio, i tuoi piatti sono gettonatissimi.
Tonight you're ahead. Your dishes are hugely popular.
Caption 2, La Ladra - EP. 8 - Il momento giusto
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If we backtrack even further from the noun gettone, we find the verb gettare (to throw, to cast). If you have learned how to say "to throw" in Italian, you have most likely learned buttare. It is a synonym for gettare in many cases, and is a more informal word in general, when it means the physical act of throwing. But gettare is used in specific situations such as the one in the example below.
Ammetto che è la prima volta in vita mia che ho voglia di
I admit that it's the first time in my life that I have the desire to
mettere radici in un posto. -Ahi ahi ahi.
put down roots in a place. -Uh oh.
Hai deciso di gettare l'ancora? Ebbene sì, lo ammetto.
Have you decided to drop anchor? Well, yes, I admit it.
Captions 24-27, La Ladra - Ep. 7 - Il piccolo ladro
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As we have seen, verbs and nouns may be used to form new words. One modern-day example of this is in the description of a single-use item or something disposable.
Vola, vola, vola sulla bicicletta
Fly, fly, fly on the bicycle
Contro la cultura del consumo "usa e getta"
Against the culture of "disposable" consumption
Captions 40-41, Radici nel Cemento - La Bicicletta
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You will see usa e getta crop up in ads for and labels on dustcloths, latex gloves, contact lenses, etc. From two verbs: usare (to use) and gettare (to throw), a compound adjective was born: usa e getta (use and throw/single-use).
Do you know how to use the word tutto, or the plurals tutti and tutte? You may have heard the term "tutti frutti" that has made its way into English, as seen in this dictionary entry. It usually describes a variety of flavors. Literally it means "all fruits."
Tutto basically means "all" and can be used both as a pronoun and as an adjective. What's tricky is that depending on what it represents, it will change its ending according to number and gender.
Dici la stessa cosa tutte le volte (you say the same thing every time).
Ci manchi tanto, a tutti noi (we miss you alot, all of us do).
Così fan tutte (that's what they all [feminine] do). [This is the title of a Mozart opera.]
Abbiamo caricato tutte le bici in macchina (we've loaded all the bikes in the car).
Ho messo tutti i piatti nella lavastoviglie (I put all the plates in the dishwasher).
Note that after tutto, tutti, or tutte, we use the article of the noun if there is a noun.
Let's look at some of the words we can tack onto tutto/tutti/tutte to add clarity.
First, let's look at tutto quanto, tutti quanti and tutte quante.
In the example below, Alberto Angela is talking about a fact, a situation, so he uses the singular, and likewise, quanto becomes singular. Tutto quanto: "the sum of this," "all that there is."
Tutto quanto risale all'Alto Medioevo, cioè a un'epoca,
All of this dates back to the early Middle Ages, that is, to an era,
eh, in cui Longobardi e Bizantini si scontrarono.
uh, in which the Lombards and the Byzantines were in conflict.
Captions 16-17, Meraviglie - Ep. 1 - Part 10
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Let's say we are buying tomatoes. We want all the tomatoes in the crate. Pomodoro is a masculine noun. Pomodori is the plural. So we need the plural masculine tutti as a pronoun.
To make sure we get the point across that we really want all those tomatoes, we add quanti to say, not just "all" but "all of them," "all that there are," "every last one."
Here's a little dialog that could occur at the market:
Vorrei qualche pomodoro (I'd like some tomatoes).
Quanti ne vuoi? (how many [of them] would you like)?
Fammi pensare... li prenderò tutti quanti (let me think... I'll take all of them).
If you don't add "quanti" it still means basically the same thing, but quanti sends it home. If the vendor is not sure you really want all of them, he might ask, to confirm, tutti quanti? (the whole lot)?
In English we have to distinguish between "everything" and "everybody." In Italian, we use the same word — tutto/tutti/tutte for things and people, but we need to pay attention to number and gender.
In the following example, tutti happens to refer to persons, not things, but what stands out is the use of quanti after tutti. As in the previous example, it's a way of emphasizing that you really mean "all":
Non fare il piccione. Ovunque sei andato,
Don't be a pigeon. Wherever you went,
è il momento di tornare. -Oh, stanno tutti quanti qua.
it's time to come back. -Hey. Everyone is here [they are all here].
Captions 49-50, Chi m'ha visto - film - Part 20
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When we're talking about two things or persons in English, we often use "both." In Italian, we still use tutti but we qualify it. If we are talking generically the default is masculine — tutti e due (both), but if the nouns or people are feminine, then it's tutte e due (both).
Quale disegno ti piace? (which design do you like)?
Tutti e due (both of them).
Quale felpa metto in valigia, quella beige o quella blu scuro? (Which sweatshirt should I put in my suitcase? The beige one or the dark blue one)?
Ci le metto tutte e due, in fin dei conti, ce spazio a sufficienza (I'll put both of them in, anyway there is enough room).
When we're talking about just two things, we can also say entrambi or entrambe (both). When using tutti e, we can tack on any quantity we want.
Quale risposta delle cinque è corretta? (which of the five answers are correct)?
Tutte e cinque sono giuste (all five of them are right).
Avete capito tutto quanto? (have you understood all of this)?
If we listen to an Italian speaking, either formally or informally, one word we will hear constantly is proprio. With its various meanings, it can be confusing to start using. Proprio sounds a lot like "proper," of course, and that is one meaning, although not the most common.
Let's start with one of the few cases in which proprio can connote "proper": the expression vero e proprio. Literally, "true and proper," it always comes as two words connected by the conjunction e (and). The expression can mean "proper" or "veritable" (as in the case of the example below). "Genuine," "real," or "actual" can work, too. Italians really like to say vero e proprio "true and proper." Think of it as one word.
Il Duomo di Siena è un vero e proprio scrigno.
The Duomo of Siena is a veritable treasure chest.
Caption 1, Meraviglie - EP. 3 - Part 5
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Very often, proprio means "just," or "exactly," as in the following example.
A volte molto freddo, specie a gennaio e a febbraio.
Sometimes, very cold, especially in January and February.
Ecco perché bisogna vestirsi pesanti, proprio come me.
That's why we need to dress in heavy clothing, just like me.
Captions 12-13, Adriano - Le stagioni dell'anno
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Proprio can mean "actually" or "indeed."
Vedrete come la prima sillaba di ogni verso è proprio il nome che poi è rimasto alle sette note.
You'll see how the first syllable of each line is indeed the name which has since remained, for the seven notes.
Captions 29-30, A scuola di musica - con Alessio
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We use proprio to give more emphasis to an adjective.
Proprio buono!
Really good!
Caption 46, Adriano - Il caffè
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We also use proprio when in English, we would say "right" as an adverb, for example, proprio lì (right there).
Ciao, ragazzi e ragazze [ragazze e ragazzi]. Mi trovo proprio al ristorante Pinocchio.
Hi guys and gals, I'm right in the Pinocchio restaurant.
Caption 3, Adriano - Pizzeria Pinocchio
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We also use propio to indicate ownership. We add this example so that you know about this use. Not all Italians uses this properly, so don't worry about it too much, but if you don't know this meaning, there may be cause for confusion. We'll talk about this more in a future lesson.
Una città dove non c'è più egoismo e ognuno fa il proprio dovere di creare e agire.
A city where there's no more egotism and everyone does one's own duty — to create and act.
Captions 11-12, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep. 1
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One way to take advantage of Yabla is to do a search of proprio on the videos page. You'll see example after example of this word in various contexts. If there are examples you don't quite understand, let us know! We're here to help.
Strappare (to tear, to yank, to rip) is an interesting Italian verb, with a useful, related noun uno strappo (the act of ripping up) that goes hand in hand with it.
Sembrerebbe un tuo capello.
It seems like one of your hairs.
Va be', dai, strappami il capello, forza. Strappa 'sto capello.
OK, come on, pull out a hair, come on. Yank this strand out.
Dai, ai!
Come on, ow!
Captions 37-40, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP3 - Delitto tra le lenzuola
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The previous example is literal and you can easily visualize the act. The following example could be literal, but not necessarily. It describes a somewhat violent act, but this grandfather might be speaking figuratively.
Insomma, mi hanno strappato via la mia nipotina dalle braccia.
In short, they tore my little granddaughter from my arms.
Caption 84, Un medico in famiglia - S1 EP1 - Casa nuova
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Even when we're talking about hair, strappare can be used figuratively.
Guarda, mi strappo i capelli da, proprio...
Look, I'm really tearing my hair out from, right...
Caption 24, L'Eredità -Quiz TV - La sfida dei sei. Puntata 1
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In this week's segment of La Ladra, there is a wonderful Italian expression with the noun strappo.
Ma sono vegetariano.
But I am a vegetarian.
Ma non fai mai uno strappo alla regola?
But don't you ever make an exception to the rule?
Qualche volta.
Sometimes.
E... allora potresti venire nel mio ristorante, naturalmente saresti mio ospite.
And... so you could come to my restaurant, you'll be my guest, naturally.
Con piacere.
With pleasure.
Captions 61-64, La Ladra - EP. 8 - Il momento giusto
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Did you hear the percussive T, the well-articulated R, and the double, percussive P? It's a fun word to say. Remember that in Italian a double P sounds different from a single P. To hear the difference, go back to the examples about hair. There's a double P in strappare, or strappo, but there is a single P in capello or capelli. Tricky!
Strappare (to tear, to rip, to yank) is very close to rompere (to break) or even spezzare (to break, to snap, to split). So fare uno strappo alle regole, means "to break a rule," "to make an exception."
Another expression with the same noun — strappo — is dare uno strappo (to give [someone] a lift).
Ti do uno strappo a casa?
Shall I give you a lift home?
Caption 51, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso
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The more conventional word would be un passaggio. Read more about passaggio here.
Practice:
Here are some situations in which you might want to use the verb strappare or the noun strappo:
You want someone to tear off a page from their notebook or pad. Mi strappi una pagina? (Would you tear off a page for me?)
You want someone to give you a lift home. Mi dai uno strappo? (Will you give me a lift?)
You hardly ever eat ice cream, but today, you'll make an exception. Faccio uno strappo alla regola. Mangerò un gelato! (I'll make an exception. I'm going to have ice cream!)
You are very frustrated with listening to someone complain. Quando comincia con certi discorsi mi viene voglia di strapparmi i capelli. (When he/she starts up with that story, I get the urge to tear my hair out.)
Try fitting in these new words to your Italian practice. Send in your suggestions and we'll correct them or comment on them.
People love to talk about their pets. So being able to talk about pets and animals can be a great way to start a conversation with someone as you travel around Italy on your next trip. Let's look at some words you might want to have handy.
Un cane! Un cane!
A dog! A dog!
Si dice sempre che il cane è il migliore amico dell'uomo ed è veramente così.
They always say that a dog is man's best friend, and that's really the way it is.
Captions 33-34, Animali domestici - Oscar
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The title of the previous video example is Animali Domestici. This is how Italians say "pets." It's easy to figure out, as animale is a cognate of animal, and the adjective domestico is very much like "domestic." A domestic flight is within the homeland, and a domestic helper helps out in the home. Domestico comes from the Latin "domesticus" from "domus" meaning "home."
Animale can be both a noun or, as in the following example, an adjective. This is true in English, too, where nouns can often be used as adjectives. Occhio alla posizione (watch out for its position). In Italian, the adjective follows the noun, whereas in English the adjective precedes the noun.
Le corna, lo sappiamo tutti, fanno parte del mondo animale.
Horns, we all know, are part of the animal world.
Ce le hanno i cervi, i tori, le alci.
Deer, bulls, moose have them.
Captions 52-53, Marika commenta -La Ladra - Espressioni idiomatiche
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In one of this week's many videos, we hear about a dog that gets rescued. Andromeda is clearly un amante degli animali (an animal lover)
Per chi mi conosce qui su Yabla,
For those who know me here on Yabla,
sono un amante degli animali
I'm an animal lover
e infatti troverete altri due video* dei miei gatti.
and in fact, you will find two other videos* of my cats.
Captions 2-4, Andromeda - La storia di Ulisse
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*See them here
Andromeda refers to the canile, in this case, "dog pound," where Ulisse was destined to live unless he was rescued. But canile has some different meanings. In the next example, Anna is actually describing a spot in Rome where cats are given food and shelter.
È un canile per gatti.
It's a dog kennel for cats.
Caption 6, Anna presenta - Largo Argentina e "Il Gattile"
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A person who raises hunting dogs, for example, will also have un canile. But it simply indicates kennel, or place where dogs are kept, often in large numbers. It's not necessarily a derogatory term, although it can be.
Ma io non lo sapevo che il canile era [fosse] così schifoso.
But I didn't know that the dog pound was so disgusting.
Caption 8, Provaci Ancora Prof! - S1E1 - Il regalo di Babbo Natale
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If you have a dog at home, he might sleep outside. In this case, his shelter is called la cuccia. It's where he can lie down.
Per esempio, io so che il mio c'... [sic], il mio cane chiederebbe
For example, I know that my do'... my dog would ask
di avere una cuccia doppia con patio.
to have a double dog house with a patio.
Captions 59-60, Marika e Daniela - Il verbo chiedere
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If you do encounter a stray dog, he might stop bothering you if you give him the command: A cuccia (go lie down)!
A cuccia, tu!
Lie down, you!
Caption 41, La Ladra - Ep. 3 - L'oro dello squalo
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Animal-rights activists are called animalisti in Italian.
Solo per... Ma avete visto quanti animali ci vanno per fare una pelliccia?
Just to... But have you seen how many animals it takes to make a fur coat?
Caption 6, Animalisti Italiani - Parla Romina Power
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If you would like to know more about how to talk about animals in Italian, send us your questions! newsletter@yabla.com
Here are the solutions to the exercise in the lesson. The task was to change sentences with bisogno to ones with servire or the contrary, adding personal pronouns where necessary or desirable. In some cases, you can even use the verb bisognare (adding a verb). If you have an answer that you think is right, but isn't present here, write to us at newsletter@yabla.com. We'll get back to you.
Meanwhile, here's another example of when to use the verb servire. Here, it's in the conditional.
Allora... che ti metti per uscire? -Stasera?
So... what are you wearing to go out? -Tonight?
Possiamo andare a fare shopping!
We can go and do some shopping!
OK, a me... servirebbe un paio di scarpe, un paio di ballerine.
OK, I... could use a pair of shoes, a pair of ballerinas.
Captions 41-43, Serena - vita da universitari
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Per questa ricetta, ho bisogno di tre uova (For this recipe, I need three eggs).
Per questa ricetta, servono tre uova.
Per questa ricetta, mi servono tre uova.
Di che cosa hai bisogno (What do you need)?
Che cosa ti serve?
Ti serve qualcosa?
Non c'è bisogno di prendere l'autobus, il posto è a due passi a piedi (No need to take the bus. The place is well within walking distance).
Non serve prendere l'autobus. Il posto è a due passi a piedi.
Che bisogno c'era di essere così cattivo (Why did you need to be so mean)?
A che cosa serviva essere così cattivo?
Servirà un ombrello, visto il cielo (Judging from the sky, an umbrella will be necessary).
Avremo bisogno di un ombrello, visto il cielo.
Avrai bisogno di un ombrello, visto il cielo.
Ci sarà bisogno di un ombrello, visto il cielo.
Bisogna prendere l'ombrello, visto il cielo.
Serve un altro posto a tavola, perché viene un mio amico (We need another place at the table, because a friend of mine is coming).
Abbiamo bisogno di un altro posto a tavola, perché viene un mio amico.
C'è bisogno di un altro posto a tavola, perché viene un mio amico.
Bisogna aggiungere un posto a tavola, perché viene un mio amico.
A recent user comment prompted this lesson about servire when it's used to express need. The Italian approach to expressing need bears some explaining. In fact, we have already addressed this before.
One way to express need is with the noun il bisogno (the need) and the odd verb bisognare only ever used in the third person singular impersonal. See this previous lesson. We can also use the verb servire (to be necessary, to be useful, to be used). In fact, we have already had a look at this interesting verb in this lesson. Take a look at these two lessons to get up to speed. In the present lesson, we will talk some more about how to use servire. It can be tricky!
There has been some discussion about a caption in a recent Yabla video. It's the story of Adriano Olivetti —Yes, that Olivetti: the typewriter guy. This is a fictionalized RAI production, starring Luca Zingaretti, famous as Commissario Montalbano in the well-known Italian TV series of the same name.
Here's the Italian sentence:
Serviranno dei fondi.
Here's our original translation:
We'll need funds.
A learner wrote in to say the translation should be "They will need funds."
Indeed, serviranno appears in its third person plural form. So, of course, you would think it should be "they."
This comment reminds us that the verb servire doesn't really have a counterpart in English, not one that works the same way, at any rate.
Yabla translators have since modified the translation to be less conversational, but easier to grasp. As a matter of fact, the verb servire is often best translated with the passive voice. As freshly modified, it is easier to see that the third person plural (future tense) serviranno comes from "the funds."
Serviranno dei fondi.
Funds will be needed.
Caption 63, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep.2
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Indeed, Adriano could have said, ci serviranno dei fondi, making it personal, but he didn't (although we can infer it) and that's why it was particularly confusing.
In the following example, the indirect object ci (for us, to us) is present, so it's a bit easier to understand. Serviranno, the third person plural of servire, refers to the utensili (the utensils) listed: lemon squeezer, knife, etc.
Per quanto riguarda gli utensili, ci serviranno, dunque,
In regard to utensils, we will need, accordingly,
uno spremiagrumi per i limoni, un coltello per tagliare i limoni.
a lemon squeezer for the lemons, a knife to cut the lemons.
Captions 40-44, L'Italia a tavola - Involtini di alici
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In English, especially in speech, we often use "to need" in an active way, as a transitive verb. "I need something." You may have discovered that there is no Italian verb we can use the same way. When we use servire, the thing we need is the subject and we use an indirect object with it. In the following example, Martino is asking himself what he needs to camp out in an old farmhouse. "What is necessary for me to take with me?"
Che mi può servire?
What do I need?
Caption 30, Chi m'ha visto - film - Part 9
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To make things more complicated, servire also means "to be used." In this case, servire is used with the preposition a (to, for). We may ask the question:
A che cosa serve (what is it used for, what is it for)?
Serve a [insert verb in the infinitive or a noun] (it's used for, it's for [insert a gerund or a noun]).
Ecco a cosa serve il brodo vegetale.
That's what the vegetable broth is for.
Caption 95, L'Italia a tavola - La pappa al pomodoro
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The following example shows how needing, being useful, or being used are so close that Italians use the same word.
Una fabbrica che funziona, in una società che non funziona, non serve a niente.
A factory that works in a society that doesn't work is useless.
Caption 26, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep. 1
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We can translate non serve a niente in a couple of additional ways:
Who needs a factory that works, if the society it is part of doesn't work?
A factory that works in a society that doesn't work is of no use to anyone.
A factory that works in a society that doesn't work serves no purpose.
Note: Servire can also mean "to serve" as in serving someone at the table, or at the counter in a post office, supermarket or any other place. But that's much less complicated and not what this lesson was about.
PRACTICE
We hope we have been successful in clarifying the verb servire, at least in part. We'll leave you with a few exercises that may further clarify the verb as you do them.
Change these sentences with bisogno or bisogna to one with servire or the contrary. Add personal pronouns where necessary or desirable.
Per questa ricetta, ho bisogno di tre uova (For this recipe, I need three eggs).
Di che cosa hai bisogno (What do you need)?
Non c'è bisogno di prendere l'autobus, il posto è a due passi a piedi (No need to take the bus. The place is well within walking distance).
Che bisogno c'era di essere così cattivo (Why did you need to be so mean)?
Servirà un ombrello, visto il cielo (Judging from the sky, an umbrella will be necessary).
Serve un altro posto a tavola, perché viene un mio amico (We need another place at the table, because a friend of mine is coming).
Have fun. You'll find some possible solutions here. If you think your solution is correct, but isn't present among the possible solutions, let us know at newsletter@yabla.com.
The adjective "free" in English means several things, so when you're wondering how to translate it, you may have to stop and think. So let's have a look at some of the different ways to say "free" in Italian.
The first way we translate the adjective "free" is with libero. Think of the word "liberty" as meaning "freedom," and you'll be all set.
Nel tempo libero mi piace uscire con i miei amici.
In my free time, I like to go out with my friends.
Caption 38, Erica - si presenta
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One occasion in which you'll need this word is when looking for a seat on a train. You can simply ask, while using a gesture:
È libero (Is it free)?
È libero questo posto/quel posto (Is this/that seat free)?
Tip: Learn to use questo and quello in this week's lesson with Daniela!
Do you know the opposite of libero in this case?
Questo posto è occupato (This seat is occupied).
No, è occupato (No, it's occupied).
We also use libero to talk about ourselves. In this case the person in question is a girl or a woman.
Sei libera venderdì sera (Are you free Friday night)?
Si, sono libera (Yes, I'm free).
Mi dispiace, sono occupata (Sorry, I'm busy).
An adjective that's close to "free" in this sense is "available." It translates as disponibile. If you look at the context in the following example, both libero and free would also work. Disponibile is a handy, very useful word to know, as it is extremely common in everyday conversation.
L'unico tavolo sotto la cassa sei riuscito a trovarlo tu!
You succeeded in getting the only table right under the loudspeaker!
-Per favore, per favore!
-Please, please!
Ho prenotato, l'unico disponibile era questo. Che vuoi da me?
I reserved, the only one available was this one. What do you want from me?
Captions 12-14, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro
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A completely different meaning of "free" is that of not costing anything. There are two closely related ways to say this in Italian:
Gratis and gratuito. They are interchangeable. Gratis comes directly from the Latin, meaning "grace," "favor."
Ma se fosse per me, lo sport dovrebbe essere gratis per tutti.
But if it were up to me, sports should be free for everyone.
Ma la palestra costa.
But the gym costs money.
Captions 41-42, L'oro di Scampia - film - Part 3
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Gratuito is Italian, and is a common choice when it comes after to the noun it modifies, as in the following example.
Ma oggi c'è il Wi-Fi gratuito dappertutto,
But today there's free wi-fi everywhere,
per cui è un posto che si può assolutamente vivere quotidianamente
so it's a place one can absolutely experience on a daily basis,
anche nel ventesimo secolo, anzi ventunesimo.
even in the twentieth, or rather twenty-first century.
Captions 22-24, Anna e Marika - Villa Torlonia - Casino Nobile
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Fun fact: gratuito can be pronounced correctly with the accent on either the u or the i. You'll probably find more people who place the accent on the u, but it's not wrong the other way.
Another important translation of "free," when it means something you don't pay for, is omaggio.
The cognate of omaggio, as a noun, is "homage," and in fact omaggio is also used to mean "homage." But it is also used to mean a free sample, or free gift. The shopkeeper is paying you homage by giving you a gift!
Dimenticavo che mi hanno portato quattro biglietti omaggio per dei massaggi, interessa?
I almost forgot: Someone brought me four free coupons for some massages. Interested?
Caption 36, La Ladra - Ep. 6 - Nero di rabbia
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Omaggio can be used as an adjective (that doesn't change with gender and number) as in the previous example.
Otherwise, omaggio is a noun that means "complimentary gift."
When you get a free gift at the checkout counter, a shopkeeper or cashier might simply say un omaggio.
Lastly, "free" can be translated as senza (without), as in "gluten-free" or "sugar-free."
Questi biscotti sono senza zucchero, senza glutine e senza grassi.
This cookies are sugar-free, gluten-free, and fat-free.
See you in the next lesson! Alla prossima!
Italians have a reputation for being concerned with drafts, chills, sudden changes of temperature, etc. This translates to parents often being very protective of their kids when it comes to wearing the appropriate clothing for a given situation.
There's a little song featured on Yabla all about this struggle between parents and their children on this subject.
Che senza canottiera
That with no undershirt
Poi mi prendo il raffreddore
I will catch a cold later
Captions 17-18, Zecchino d'Oro - Metti la canottiera
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Note the verb used to catch or get a cold is prendere (to take). It's often used reflexively, prendersi Another verb that is often used for getting sick, is beccare as in the following example.
Ah, buongiorno. Scusate se starnutisco,
Ah, good morning. Sorry if I'm sneezing,
ma, purtroppo, mi sono beccata l'influenza.
but, unfortunately, I've caught the flu.
L'influenza è un bruttissimo raffreddore,
The flu is a really awful cold,
anzi, un po' più di un raffreddore perché ti prende tutto il corpo
rather, a bit more than a cold because it affects your whole body,
e senti i brividi e ti senti debole, ti senti stanca.
and you feel shivers, and you feel weak, you feel tired.
Captions 1-5, Marika spiega - Il raffreddore
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Marika could have said: Mi sono presa un brutto raffreddore (I caught a bad cold).
When a cold is really bad (as described above by Marika) and you have to stay home from work or school, it's often called l'influenza, even though it might or might not technically be the flu as we understand it.
Note also that l'influenza also means "the influence" and has a verb form influenzare (to influence).
Non credo che la Francia abbia influenzato in modo determinante la mia cucina.
I don't believe that France influenced my cooking in a decisive way.
Caption 13, L'arte della cucina - I Luoghi del Mondo
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We use the verb beccare to talk about insect bites, too. In this case it isn't reflexive. The mosquito is doing the biting.
M'ha beccato una zanzara.
A mosquito bit me.
When we don't have a full-blown cold, but suspect we're about to because we got a chill, we might say:
Ho preso freddo.
(I got a chill).
The verb is still prendere (to take, to get).
Prendere freddo is often the reason given for catching a cold. Things Italians watch out for to avoid this are uno spiffero or corrente (a draft), climatizzatori (air conditioners), ventilatori (fans), and especially not covering up or taking a shower after working up a sweat.
In the movie Chi m'ha visto being currently offered on Yabla, a curious adjective has cropped up in a newspaper headline: musicista precario. It's used to describe Martino, the guitarist, and it happens that he was quite upset when he read it.
Musicista precario a me?
An occasional musician? Me?
Caption 35, Chi m'ha visto - film - Part 12
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Chitarrista. Precario.
Guitarist. A temp.
Caption 2, Chi m'ha visto - film - Part 13
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Let's delve into this adjective for a moment. The English cognate for precario is "precarious," but it has a specific meaning to Italians in the modern-day world.
Primarily, precario is used to describe someone who doesn't have tenure, doesn't have a permanent job. For instance, many public school teachers in Italy find themselves in the position of being precario, and the word is also often used as a noun: un precario. Someone in this position can also be described as un supplente, a substitute teacher, even though they have been teaching in the same school for years. At the end of the school year, un supplente is let go, and has no guarantee of being re-hired for another year. These "substitute" teachers don't get paid during the summer months, but they have to be ready to start work (or not) from one day to the next, come September — definitely a precarious work situation!
Precario may also be used to describe a temporary worker or temporary job.
Poi però... con questa crisi ho perso l'ultimo lavoro precario.
Then, however... with this crisis, I lost my last temporary job.
Caption 25, La Ladra - Ep. 1 - Le cose cambiano
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In Martino's case, the headline implies that he doesn't have a steady band he plays with on a regular basis. He has no guaranteed work and plays concerts only occasionally. In fact, he is just about unemployed.
Precario can also mean the same as "precarious" in other situations, such as walking a tightrope.
While we are on the subject of precariousness, there is another curious word that means much the same thing (but not in the context of job security): in bilico. Essere in bilico is "to teeter," "to be in a precarious equilibrium." It's also used to mean "undecided."
Ero in bilico tra l'essere vittima, essere giudice
I was teetering between being a victim and being a judge
Caption 50, Måneskin - Torna a casa
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Ma sotto questa tua corazza lo so
But underneath this armor of yours I know
C'è una ragazza che sta lì in bilico
There's a girl who is there on the verge of falling
Captions 24-25, Max Gazzè - Ti Sembra Normale
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How do we refer to punctuation or use punctuation terms when speaking Italian?
When we start a new paragraph, we say punto e a capo (period, new paragraph). This can happen if we are dictating.
Punto is how we say "full stop" or "period" in Italian.
Capo means "head," and so we are at the head of a new paragraph.
But we also use punto e a capo and similar terms metaphorically in everyday speech. Here's a lesson about that!
A comma, on the other hand, is una virgola. While a comma works somewhat similarly between English and Italian, there is an important peculiarity to note, as we see in the following example. Instead of a decimal point, Italian employs the virgola (comma). If we look at it numerically, it's like this: English: 5.2 km, Italian: 5,2 km.
Con i suoi cinque virgola due chilometri quadrati,
With its five point two square kilometers,
Alicudi è una delle più piccole isole delle Eolie.
Alicudi is one of the smallest islands of the Aeolians.
Captions 9-10, Linea Blu - Le Eolie
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By the same token, Italian employs the comma in currency: $5.50, but €5,50.
In English we use a comma in writing "one thousand": $1,000.00, but in Italian, a point or period is used. €1.000,00.
It can also be omitted. 1000,00.
Virgolette, on the other hand are little commas, and when we turn them upside down, they become quotation marks, or inverted commas.
So, in conversation, we might make air quotes if people can see us talking, but in Italian it's common to say tra virgolette (in quotes, or literally, "between quotation marks"). We can translate this with "quote unquote," or we can sometimes say "so-called" (cosìdetto).
...cioè delle costruzioni, tra virgolette temporanee.
...in other words, quote unquote temporary buildings.
Caption 38, Meraviglie - EP.2 - Part 12
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E perché poi erano facili da smontare, tra virgolette.
Uh, because they were in any case easy to quote unquote dismantle.
Caption 45, Meraviglie - EP.2 - Part 12
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Versace è nata da un ritorno alla tradizione, tra virgolette.
Versace was created as a, quote unquote, return to tradition.
Caption 13, That's Italy - Episode 2
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One more important thing about virgolette: In American English, most punctuation marks go inside quotation marks, but in Italian, they go on the outside. If you pay attention to the captions in Yabla videos, you will see this regularly.
Thanks for reading and a presto!
Il talento è un dono enorme. Il talento è... è un dovere morale coltivarlo.
Talent is an enormous gift. Talent is... it's a moral duty to cultivate it.
Captions 75-76, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep. 1
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Piazza del Popolo è una piazza molto importante di Roma.
Piazza del Popolo is a very important square of Rome.
Caption 1, Anna presenta - Piazza del Popolo
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...e che invece adesso è una delle parti più eleganti,
...and which now though, is one of the most elegant,
più signorili della capitale, dove ci sono le case più belle.
most exclusive parts of the capital, where there are the most beautiful houses.
Captions 4-5, Anna presenta - il ghetto ebraico e piazza mattei
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