When you know enough Italian to communicate with Italians, there is still something that might stump you. In the midst of a sentence in Italian, you might hear a word you don't recognize. Often, it is an English word being pronounced in a strange way, or maybe it's being used to mean something different from what it means in English. We're not prepared for it, either. We expect an Italian word! Let's look at a few of these words. 

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Il catering (the catering service, the caterers)

The usual Italianized version of this word is a noun: il catering. In English we're used to saying "the caterers" but in Italian, it's all about the catering service, shortened to "the catering", or rather il catering. 

Se agiamo subito possiamo disdire, limitare i danni e pagare meno penali possibili. Il fioraio, il catering. -Perché?

If we act right away we can cancel, limit the damage, and pay as few penalties as possible. The florist, the caterers. -Why?

Captions 46-48, Sposami EP 4 - Part 10

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Nella mia vita mi ero occupata molto di rapporti educativi, mi ero occupata di sociale, e tra le varie occupazioni, io ho avuto anche per dieci anni un catering che avevo creato io.

In my life, I had been very involved with educational relationships, I had been involved in social work, and among the various occupations, I had also had a catering company for ten years, which I had created.

Captions 3-6, Benvenuti in Galera Bollate, Milano - Part 5

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If you listen to these 2 examples, you will hear the A in "catering" pronounced 2 different ways. In our first example, Nora uses the common Italian pronunciation. She pronounces the A like the a in padre. In the second example, the speaker, who has a completely different accent, uses the English pronunciation of the A, a "long" a, but she uses "catering" as a noun, as is common for Italians. We can surmise that she knows some English and therefore knows that A) catering is an English word, and B) that the A is pronounced with a long A (by English standards). In English we typically refer to "the caterers."

Fare footing (to go running or jogging)

For sure, the English word "jogging" can present challenges of pronunciation for Italians. The J is generally pronounced the same way the letter i is pronounced, and a g followed by an i is usually pronounced like a J. It's a nightmare. No wonder they found an easier way to describe the activity of moving one's feet along a road or path. Of course "footing" is a real word in English, but we use it to mean "a firm placing of one's feet."

Scusa, non hai sempre detto che sono patetici quelli che fanno footing a una certa età?

Excuse me, haven't you always said that pathetic are those who go running at a certain age?

Captions 38-39, Provaci ancora prof! S2E3 Dietro la porta - Part 1

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Since English is popular in Italian, "running" is used a lot in stores that sell sports equipment. "Footing" has probably gone out of style for young folks. 

Un toast (a grilled cheese sandwich [of sorts]).

For Italians, un toast is a sandwich of pan carré (packaged square sliced bread, often with the crust removed). So it is toasted, hence the name, but it is also filled with a combination of prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), formaggio (cheese that melts), and sometimes also giardiniera (pickled vegetables). There may also be a mayonnaise-based sauce in there, too. It's the kind of snack you can get in many bars and is one of the cheaper things you can order and satisfy your appetite. 

Perché ho pensato, allora, ci sarebbero le uova strapazzate con il bacon o i muffin oppure un buonissimo toast con prosciutto e formaggio...

Because I had thought, then, there would be scrambled eggs with bacon or muffins, or else a very good grilled cheese [sandwich] with ham...

Captions 23-25, JAMS EP 6 - Part 5

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Toast, as English speakers know it, is something else altogether and needs no explaining. If you want to talk about toast to an Italian, you'll call it pane tostato, and it might be made in il tostapane (the toaster). 

Let us know if you think of other English words that have different meanings when spoken by an Italian. And thanks for reading!

Write to us at [email protected].

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