Quick take: non vuol dire

There is un modo di dire (a turn of phrase) that's handy to know: It's non vuol dire. The missing word is niente: non vuol dire niente (that doesn't mean anything).

You might already know that when talking about the meaning of something, we use the modal verb volere (to want to) plus the verb dire (to say) in Italian. 

Cosa vuol dire la parola "pane" (What does the word "pane" mean)?

And in general, when asking what something means, we can say:

Cosa vuol dire (what does that mean)?
Che vuol dire (what does that mean)?

But even when making an affirmation such as: "That doesn't mean anything," or "That doesn't make a difference," Italians just say:

Non vuol dire (that doesn't mean [anything]).

In other words, they leave out  "niente." This expression is just something to keep in mind and be on the lookout for.

Here are a couple of examples:

Provaci ancora, Prof!

In this scene, Renzo is commenting on the fact that Camilla has been hearing noises during the night and wakes Renzo up. 

E certo che c'è silenzio, amore, è notte. Eh, ma non vuol dire però. Ci son delle notti dove non c'è silenzio.

Of course there is silence, love. It's nighttime. Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything, however. There are nights when there is no silence.

Captions 35-37, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 4

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Liberi tutti!

Spy#1 Ma questa è quella di acqua e aceto.

But this is the water and vinegar lady.

Spy#2 Embè? È brutta?

-And so? Is she ugly?

Spy#1 Eh, acqua e aceto.

-Uh, water and vinegar.

Spy#2 E non vuol dire [niente].

-Well, that doesn't mean anything.

Captions 66-68, Liberi tutti EP4 Ma la giacca la vuole tutta? - Part 7

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So spy #1 recognizes the woman's voice as that of Iolde (the one who had offered Michele a drink of water and vinegar in a previous segment). Spy #2 asks if she (Iolde) is ugly. Spy #1 just says, "Water and vinegar" as if to say, "And that's all you need to know." But spy #2 says non vuol dire, as if to say, "That doesn't mean she is ugly." Or he might be saying, "So what? Even if she is ugly, that doesn't necessarily matter." 

We will add more examples to this lesson. If you come across an example, feel free to let us know and we'll add it. 

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