What words and expressions can we use in Italian to talk about getting along with other people, or not getting along? There are plenty of ways, some more mainstream, and others more colloquial or even vulgar, especially when it's about not getting along.
First of all, let's mention the classic term simpatico, which is tough to translate accurately (see this lesson). Although simpatico is not strictly connected with getting along, it is often a factor.
Someone can be simpatico, meaning they are friendly, easy to get along with, nice, likeable. None of these descriptions alone is enough to express the idea of simpatico. But simpatico has become a word that many English speakers understand. We can use simpatico as an adjective to describe a person:
Nick è uno simpatico, un po' fuori di testa.
Nick is a nice guy, a bit crazy.
Captions 56-57, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP4 Gelo - Part 10
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But we can personalize it a bit by using the verb stare instead of essere and adding a personal pronoun. This is one way of getting around the fact that "to like" is transitive in English but not in Italian. We've mentioned in another lesson that mi piace can have various connotations, but stare simpatico is more generic and "safe."
Anche se la conoscevo poco, mi stava simpatica. -Certo.
Even if I didn't know her well, I liked her. -Of course.
Caption 10, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP1 I Bastardi - Part 14
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The opposite of simpatico is antipatico. But while we can use antipatico to describe a person, we also use it to describe something unpleasant like a medical procedure. It often means "unpleasant" in this context. In the following example, "unfriendly" was the translation but it could also have been "unpleasant," "not nice." Sometimes we might use "nasty," but that is a strong word.
È severo e pure un po' antipatico.
He is stern and also a bit unfriendly.
Caption 41, Provaci ancora prof! S1E4 - La mia compagna di banco - Part 4
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In terms of getting along, the classic phrasal verb is andare d'accordo (literally, "to go in agreement").
Non mi avevi detto che andavate d'accordo? -Sì, andiamo d'accordo.
Didn't you tell me you got along great? -Yes, we get along.
Captions 77-78, Questione di Karma Rai Cinema - Part 15
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Sai quanto tuo marito mi sta antipatico, e questo lo abbiamo capito fra le righe, però andare d'accordo con te non è che è facile, eh.
You know how much I don't like your husband, and this we have figured out, reading between the lines, but getting along with you isn't easy, huh.
Captions 5-8, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 EP3 Un cugino in fuga - Part 14
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Another way to express "getting along" in a very positive way, is with stare bene. Stare bene can mean "to feel good," "to be comfortable," or "to be in good health." Stare insieme is used when two people are in a couple. Stanno insieme (they are together, they're a couple).
Stiamo bene insieme.
We get along well together/we go well together.
Caption 29, Sposami EP 5 - Part 23
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Sometimes you can get along with someone you don't like, but sometimes people are mean. In Italian, we use vedere (to see) instead of "to stand," when you can't stand someone.
Per esempio: "Nicoletta è sempre antipatica con me". E in effetti, anche io non la posso vedere.
For example: "Nicoletta is always nasty to me." And, actually, I can't stand her either.
Captions 41-42, Marika spiega Il verbo vedere - Part 2
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Sometimes we don't get along with someone because one of us is a pain in the butt. The socially acceptable way to describe this type of person is un rompiscatole. See this lesson for a closer look.
Problemi? -No, niente, è solo 'sta [questa] rompiscatole.
Problems? -No, nothing. It's just this pain in the ass.
Caption 91, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 1
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Now we get to more vulgar terms. Replacing rompiscatole with rompipalle or rompiballe (literally "ballbreaker," pain in the ass) is more vulgar. We again use stare (to be, to stay) together with a word for male genitalia or some euphemism. We are describing someone who can't stand someone else. The next example is quite vulgar, although used a lot, except in polite company.
Magari gli stavo sul cazzo.
Maybe to him I was a pain in the ass.
Caption 67, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP1 I Bastardi - Part 9
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To make this more socially acceptable, it could be:
Magari gli stavo sulle scatole.
Mi ha accollato agli altri a forza e il risultato finale è che sono appena arrivato e sto già sul cazzo a tutti.
He forced me on the others and the end result is that I only just arrived and I'm already pissing everyone off.
Captions 31-32, La compagnia del cigno EP 2 - Part 3
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We might have translated this another way, too:
Sto già sul cazzo a tutti.
Everyone already hates me/can't stand me/I am already hated by everyone.
Although the word order is different from what we say in English, the idea is that someone is hated by someone else.
Thanks for reading. Please write to us if you have questions or comments about this topic: newsletter@yabla.com
First of all, last week, the lesson was about the participio presente (present participle). Guarda caso (it just so happens) that this week, there is a perfect example of the present participle in the segment of Liberi tutti. It's not quite an expression, but for the purposes of this lesson, we think it can pass.
Sedicente
The breakfast conversation is partially about a guy who calls himself a prince. Riccardo uses the adjective sedicente. We bring it up because it is a perfect example of the present participle used as an adjective. Remember the rule? We can replace it with che and the conjugated verb. In this case, the caption is:
C'è questo sedicente Ciro, Principe di Filicudi, che rivendica tutto il Nido.
There is this self-styled Ciro, Prince of Filicudi, who is laying claim to the entire Nest.
Captions 58-59, Liberi tutti EP2 Ci vivresti on un posto così? - Part 1
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We can translate it with "self-styled" or "so-called," depending on the context.
We just thought it was kind of fun to see this example after having talked about it so recently. We will be adding it to last week's lesson as an update.
Palle
There's another expression from the same video. This one is rather vulgar, but it's used often enough that it's good to understand what it means, even if you choose not to use it (a good choice, especially in polite company).
Di solito a quest'ora vi girano le palle almeno fino alle nove e oggi, stamattina, Fedez. E proprio perché ci girano le palle, parlavamo di Fedez.
Usually at this time your balls are spinning [you're pissed off] until at least nine o'clock and today, this morning, Fedez. And precisely because our balls are spinning, we were talking about Fedez.
Captions 39-41, Liberi tutti EP2 Ci vivresti on un posto così? - Part 1
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Girare means to turn or to spin. This expression is typically used when you are generally in a bad mood because of something that has happened.
It can get more personal with the verb rompere (to break). When someone made you mad and you can't stand it any longer, you can talk about the balls breaking. It can also be translated with "to bother."
Invece di fermare gli spacciatori, vengono a rompere le palle a noi.
Instead of arresting the drug dealers, they come and break our balls.
Caption 4, Provaci ancora prof! S1E1 - Il regalo di Babbo Natale - Part 14
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A ball-breaker is un rompipalle. The more polite version is rompiscatole (box-breaker). It can refer to someone who keeps at you, and doesn't let you alone.
As you may have noticed in other videos, Italians use images of male private parts in a whole range of expressions.
For more about using palle, especially in arguments, see this lesson.
Here, we are talking about balls. Usually, there are two, but when talking about something being boring or annoying, sometimes just one is used.
Era una palla (it was a real bore).
Provolone
In this week's episode of Sposami, Melody describes Manrico as un provolone. It's kind of a cute double-entendre. You might have heard of the cheese provola or provolone.
Certe volte è tenero, è delicato. Poi, all'improvviso, si trasforma in un, in un provolone che pensa a una cosa sola.
Certain times he is tender, he is gentle. Then, all of a sudden, he is transformed into a, into a playboy who thinks of one thing only.
Captions 54-56, Sposami EP 6 - Part 7
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But nested in the word provola or provolone is the verb provare. It means "to try," but it also means, especially as part of the compound verb provarci, to hit on someone, to flirt heavily. Check out our lesson about provarci. Un provolone hits on any and all women (typically).
La commedia all'italiana (Italian-style comedy) is created to makes us laugh. But for those of us learning Italian, it's also a great opportunity to learn a lot of new expressions and plays on words that lace most Italian comedies.
One of these comedy films on offer at Yabla Italian is Un figlio a tutti costi (a child at all costs). The first segment of the movie is short on dialogue because it contains i titoli di testa (the opening credits): But at a certain point, there is a great idiomatic expression that is worth knowing about and — why not? —memorizing. A couple is complaining about their financial situation to their accountant or attorney.
Qua tra IVA, Irpef e bollette,
Here, what with VAT, personal income tax, and bills,
praticamente siamo alla frutta.
we are basically at the bottom of the barrel.
Captions 14-15, Un Figlio a tutti i costi - film
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As many of us know by now, Italian meals, the main ones anyway, feature all or some of the following courses:
antipasto
primo piatto
secondo piatto
contorno
dolce
frutta
caffè
ammazzacaffè
Although not last on the list, la frutta is the last thing we eat (although it can also come before the dessert, as well).
This tells you where the expression got its content. It implies "the end, the last thing." When, at the end of the meal, la frutta è arrivata alla tavola (the fruit has been served), the meal is, for all intents and purposes, over.
Siamo alla frutta!
Somehow, the idea of the fruit at the end of a meal has been adopted into Italian colloquial speech as a way of saying, "I'm on my last legs," "We're scraping the bottom of the barrel," "I'm done for (I can't continue)." Although it may be used in the singular: Sono alla frutta, it is more common to hear it in the plural, as a very general comment: Siamo alla frutta!
Here are some situations in which essere alla frutta is the perfect expression to use.
You are just about out of gas in the car.
Your wallet is empty, or just about.
You have been working on something for hours and need a break.
You have to come up with an idea, you've been trying, but at this point, the ones you come up with are really stupid.
You are hiking with a friend but can't keep up. Maybe you need some fuel.
You are trying to make a relationship work, but it might be time to call it quits.
Your computer is about to give up the ghost, it's so old.
So, things are not quite over, but just about.
Fun fact:
Siamo alla frutta! is a common expression to use when you are having money problems but in the scene in question, there's an additional implication in the use of an expression having to do with fruit. The man speaking is calling attention to the voluptuousness of the woman at his side. He calls her fragolina (little strawberry). There's nothing innately Italian about that allusion, but now that you are more familiar with the expression siamo alla frutta, the scene will make a bit more sense and perhaps make you chuckle. The man wanted to keep the "fruit" image in the forefront.
If you feel adventurous, send us your Italian sentences with, as a tag: Siamo/sono alla frutta!
Example:
Ho pagato tutte le bollette e l'affito per questo mese,
I paid all the bills and the rent for this month,
e ora sono alla frutta.
and I am high and dry / scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Or you can put it at the beginning:
Sono alla frutta. Vado a prendermi un caffè.
I'm wiped out. I'm going to get some coffee.
Divertitevi! (Have fun!)
We'll publish your sentences (with corrections). Let us know if you want your name associated or not! Write to us at newsletter@yabla.com.
In one of Yabla's offerings this week, there is a curious little modo di dire we'd like to take a look at here. The expression da un pezzo involves the noun pezzo (piece), a word we don't necessarily think of when thinking of time. So it's worth having a closer look.
Un pezzo has a cognate in "a piece," and in many contexts, that's the translation. But if you look in a dictionary, we find that pezzo also means "a while," "a long time." Who knew?
Io voglio un figlio mio, Orazio.
I want my own child, Orazio.
Semmai nostro. -È ovvio.
If anything, ours. -It's obvious.
Altrimenti sarei già mamma da un pezzo.
Otherwise I'd already have been a mom for a while.
Captions 28-30, Un Figlio a tutti i costi - film
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So when someone asks you,
Da quanto tempo vivi in Italia? (How long have you been living in Italy?)
You can reply using a period of time:
Vivo in Italia da dieci anni (I've lived here for ten years).
Or you can just be vague:
da molto tempo (for a long time).
But you can also say,
da un pezzo (for a long time, for a good while).
And another way we can translate this into English is with "for some time."
È per i piccoli spostamenti nella tenuta,
It's for small trips on the property.
però è ferma da un pezzo.
But it's been idle for some time.
Captions 6-7, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP11 - Beato tra le donne
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We don't necessarily need to use da (from, since). We can use the verb essere in the present tense (third person singular), which in this case corresponds to the past continuous in English.
Sì. Ho pagato la protezione.
Yes. I paid for protection.
È un pezzo che la pago.
I've been paying for a while now.
Captions 21-22, L'oro di Scampia - film
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So let's say two friends get together after a long time. There are various ways we can comment. Note that we use the present tense in Italian, but we use the present perfect in English.
Non ci vediamo da un pezzo (We haven't seen each other in a while / in a long time).
È un pezzo che non ci vediamo (It's been a while / a long time since we last saw each other).
Non ci vediamo da un sacco di tempo (We haven't seen each other in a really long time).
È un sacco di tempo che non ci vediamo (We haven't seen each other in a really long time).
Non ci vediamo da una vita (We haven't seen each other in ages [in a lifetime]).
È una vita che non ci vediamo (It's been ages [a lifetime] since we last saw each other).
We hope you can add this to your Italian conversational toolbox. It might save you trying to figure out how to say a year, or use some other complicated construction. Need more info? Write to us at newsletter@yabla.com
This week's segment of Sposami happens to have several idiomatic expressions that are worth looking at.
In the following example, the verb rompere (to break) is used, together with the direct object scatole (boxes). This is a euphemism, a polite way to say palle (balls). Although it is very easy for Italians to have the more vulgar expression on the tip of the tongue, they will avoid it in polite company, and will use scatole instead of palle.
Bruna ha il marito in cassa integrazione
Bruna's husband has been laid off
e fa di tutto anche lei per farsi licenziare
and she's trying her best to get fired,
rompendo le scatole in continuazione con rivendicazioni sindacali.
as well by pestering us [breaking our balls] constantly with union demands.
Captions 13-15, Sposami - EP 1 - Part 4
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If you don't know it's a euphemism, the expression makes little sense, but it's also handy to know that you can just use the verb rompere and the message will get across, all the same, guaranteed, cento percento (100%).
Oh, ma hai finito di rompere?
Oh, but have you finished bugging me?
Caption 30, Ma che ci faccio qui! - Un film di Francesco Amato
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You can just say when someone is pestering you,
Non rompere! (Don't bother me!)
The noun form is used a lot, too, to describe someone who keeps pestering you.
È un vero rompiscatole (he/she is a real pain).
This next idiom has interesting origins. Of course, you don't need to know its origins to use the expression. You do need to know that when a relationship becomes strained, and is on the verge of a rupture, you may well be ai ferri corti. If you are thinking in Italian, you can imagine the scene of two people no longer speaking to each other, or if they do speak, whatever they say is misconstrued, and sparks fly. You're dangerously close to the breaking point. If you watch the movie Sposami on Yabla, you'll get the picture!
Lo so che siete ai ferri corti, non me ne importa niente.
I know that you are at loggerheads. That doesn't matter to me.
Caption 27, Sposami - EP 1 - Part 4
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When we have to translate ai ferri corti, it's a bit trickier. We have to go to a word we no longer use much: Loggerheads. To be at loggerheads. A log is a thick piece of wood, and indeed "loggerhead" once meant "blockhead," as in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, act IV, scene IV [i.e. 3]: "Ah you whoreson loggerhead, you were born to do me shame."
And later, "loggerhead" meant an iron instrument with a long handle and a ball or bulb at the end (thus the name), used, when heated in the fire, for melting pitch and for heating liquids. This makes sense with the Italian ferri, as we are talking about iron tools or possibly weapons. Think of a blacksmith's tools. We can imagine that this tool used to melt pitch, if short, will be very, very hot. Or we can think of the sword and the dagger, also made of ferro (iron). When our swords are broken or gone, and we're using daggers, we are dangerously close. In any case, the conflict has gotten dangerously heated.
Perché lo conosco, lui ha una capacità nel rivoltare le frittate
Because I know him. He's very capable of flipping omelets [turning the tables]
che non ci puoi credere.
like you wouldn't believe.
Captions 36-37, Sposami - EP 1 - Part 4
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A popular quick meal for Italians is the frittata. The word has gained popularity even in English, but for those unfamiliar with it, it's the Italian version of an omelet, but usually flatter and less fluffy than the French kind, and often containing finely chopped vegetables and grated Parmesan cheese.
You have to flip the frittata over to get it cooked on both sides.
When you twist the argument, you're flipping it. You were to blame, but you twist things in such a way that it looks like the other person is at fault. Literally, it is flipping a situation around to be in one's favor despite not being in the right. We can also translate it with "to turn the tables."
There are a few other variations of this expression:
rovesciare la frittata (turn the frittata over)
rigirare la frittata (flip the omelet over again)
girare la frittata (flip the omelet)
But they all mean basically the same thing.
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