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Asking What Something Means in Italian

One of the most basic things we need to know as we venture into the world of speaking Italian is how to ask about a word we don't understand.

 

There are a couple of ways to do this.

 

Significare

 

One way is to use a verb we can easily understand, even though we don't use its English equivalent the same way, or very often in conversation. The Italian is significare. It kind of looks like "signify." Of course, in English, we would sooner use the adjective "significant" or the adverb "significantly."

 

Cosa significa (what does it mean)?

 

"Pilazza" in italiano significa "vasca di pietra" o "lavatoio";

"Pilazza," in Italian, means "stone tub" or "washhouse."

è il posto in cui, anticamente,

It's the place where, in earlier times,

venivano i cittadini di Mazara del Vallo a fare il bucato.

the citizens of Mazara del Vallo would come to do the laundry.

Captions 15-17, In giro per l'Italia - Mazara Del Vallo - Sicilia

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And if we want the noun form, it's il significato (the meaning, the significance).

 

Questo è un ottimo esercizio per ripassare alcune parole del video e il loro significato.

This is a good exercise for reviewing some words from the video and their meaning.

Caption 49, Italian Intro - Serena

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We can ask: Qual è il significato (what's the meaning)?

 

The other more common way with volere

The more common way to ask what something means is a bit more complex at first: We need 2 verbs to say it, but it's easy to say, and once you master it you will be all set.

 

The first verb is volere (to want). This is a very useful but tricky verb, as it is actually two verbs in one: It's a stand-alone transitive verb, as in: 

 

Voglio una macchina nuova (I want a new car).

 

We can also translate it as "to desire."

 

Volere is also a modal verb, basically meaning "to want to." The main thing to know about a modal verb is that it's followed by a verb in the infinitive, or rather it goes together with a verb in the infinitive, and can't stand alone. Just like some verbs in English, such as "to get," volere has meanings that go beyond "to want to." And just like "to get" in English, volere can pair up with other verbs to take on a new meaning. 

 

In the case of asking what something means, we add a second verb, in the infinitive: dire (to say). 

 

You know how in English we always say, "I mean..."? Well, Italians do this too, but they say, Voglio dire... (I mean to say, I mean).

 

Bene, forse è ancora in tempo.

Good, maybe there's still time for you.

Prima che distrugga anche la sua famiglia, voglio dire.

Before he destroys your family as well, I mean.

Captions 10-11, La Ladra - Ep. 2 - Viva le spose

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The difference between "I mean to say" and "I mean" is minimal, right? If we take this one step further and put it into the third person singular, it's vuole dire, which commonly gets shortened to vuol dire. And there we have it. It means "it means."

 

Of course, it could also mean "he means" or "she means," but more often than not it means "it means."

 

Uso il termometro

I use the thermometer

e misuro la mia temperatura.

and I measure my temperature.

Se è superiore a trentasette e mezzo, vuol dire che ho la febbre.

And if it's above thirty-seven and a half (centigrade), it means that I have a fever.

Captions 25-27, Marika spiega - Il raffreddore

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Marika could also have said, Significa che ho la febbre (it means I have a fever).

 

Asking about the meaning of a word

 

Here's one way to ask what a word means:

 

Nell'ottocentocinquanta, i Saraceni gli diedero il nome di Rabat.

In eight hundred fifty, the Saracens gave it the name of Rabat.

Cioè, sai pure l'arabo ora?

So, do you even know Arabic now?

E che vuol dire Rabat? -Borgo.

And what does Rabat mean? -Village.

Captions 8-10, Basilicata Turistica - Non me ne voglio andare

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The answer is: Rabat vuol dire "borgo". "Rabat" means "village."

 

So when asking what a word means, we can either use cosa (what) or just che (what), which is a bit more colloquial.

Cosa vuol dire (what does it mean)?

Che vuol dire (what does it mean)?

 

If you are absolutely desperate, just say: Vuol dire... (that means...)? You'll get the message across.

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Some learners like to know why we say what we say. It helps them remember. Others do better just memorizing how to say something and not worrying about the "why." Whatever works is the right way for you. We all learn in different ways, for sure. And if you need to know more, just ask. We at Yabla are pretty passionate about language and are happy to share the passion. This lesson, as a matter of fact, came about because a learner had trouble grasping why we use the verb "to want" when talking about the meaning of something. We hope that this has helped discover the underlying connection.

Ciao!

How to Catch a Cold in Italian

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).

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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. 

 

3 Ways of being a cavallo (on horseback)

There's a great expression in Italian to describe being between two things: cavallo, or rather, essere a cavallo di or tra/fra (to straddle) meaning con un piede da una parte euno dall'altra (with one foot on one side and the other on the other side).

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Di solito, questo stato influenzale, quindi il raffreddore o l'influenza, si prende nel periodo che è a cavallo di due stagioni in particolare.

Usually, this flu-like state, that is, a cold or the flu is caught in the period that straddles two seasons in particular:

Captions 7-8, Marika spiega - Il raffreddore

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The expression is often used figuratively when referring to historical dates: cavallo di due secoli —negli anni finali di un secolo e iniziali del successivo (straddling two centuries: in the last years of one century and the first years of the following one).

 

We also use cavallo to mean touching on two or three places. 

Maratea si trova al sud d'Italia, eh... a cavallo di tre regioni:

Maratea is located in the south of Italy, uh... straddling three regions:

Caption 35, Antonio - Maratea, la carne e il pesce

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But without the proposition di (of) or fra/tra (between), cavallo means something else entirely.

 

Essere a cavallo can mean "to be golden, in good shape." In other words, we're riding horses rather than having to walk, and that's a good achievement.

Ora lo facciamo analizzare e se corrisponde a quello trovato sul mio cuscino, siamo a cavallo.

Now we'll have it analyzed and if it corresponds to the one found on my pillow, we'll be in the saddle [all set].

Captions 11-13, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP3 - Delitto tra le lenzuola - Part 10

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Firmi, ed è fatta. Ah, allora siamo a cavallo, vedi?

Sign, and it's done. Ah, so we're on horseback [we're on our way, we're in good shape], you see?

Captions 42-43, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero - Part 12

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Of course, there is the literal meaning as well: andare a cavallo (to go horseback riding).

E a cavallo ci si arriva?

And can you get there on horseback?

Caption 63, L'Italia a tavola - Interrogazione sulla Puglia

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Vocabulary

Pronunciation Tips for Beginners: the letter A

For English speakers, Italian can be difficult to pronounce, especially when reading. Watching, listening, and doing the exercises Yabla provides can all help reinforce correct pronunciation, but let’s zoom in on one of the basic sounds.

 

We’re not looking for the nuances here, of which there are plenty, but just the very basics.

 

In Italian, the vowels, in particular, sound so different from what they look like to an English speaker, so let’s start there.

 

Let’s have a look at pronouncing the letter "A."

 

To hear the Italian “A” click on the audio icon here, and you can hear the correct pronunciation and repeat it. Maybe you can find a word in English that you pronounce with this sound. The Italian "A" sound has no diphthong in it and never sounds like a long "A," as in April.

 

Let’s take the word naso (nose). If you pronounce the "A" as you do in "ah!," you will come pretty close! And here is a tip. Go to the Dictionary tab and type in the word naso. Apart from information about the word, you will see an audio icon you can click on to hear the word pronounced. At the bottom of the page, you will be able to click on some bite-sized video clips containing the word in context. 

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Quindi ho bisogno di soffiare il naso tantissime volte.

So I have to blow my nose many times.

Caption 13, Marika spiega - Il raffreddore

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What are some other words with this sound?

 

How about casa (house)? There are 2 A's. 

È Sara che è tornata a casa.

It's Sara who just got home.

Caption 26, Acqua in bocca Mp3 Marino - Ep 2

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Maybe you noticed there are plenty of words with the A sound in the previous example. Try repeating the caption after hearing it. 

 

How about pasta?

 

La pasta alla Norma è una pasta semplicissima da cucinare.

Pasta alla Norma is a very simple pasta dish to make.

Caption 5, L'Italia a tavola - Pasta alla Norma - Part 1

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In fact, if we listen look carefully,  there are plenty of words containing the letter "A" in this one sentence. Listen to the video, and you will hear that they are all pronounced the same way. 

 

Try pronouncing the title. Italia a tavola (Italy at the Table).

 

In a segment of La Ladra (try pronouncing the title), there’s a very similar word to its English counterpart (the one in parentheses), but the "A" sounds a bit different.

 

Assassino!

Murderer (assassin)!

Caption 9, La Ladra Ep. 3 - L'oro dello squalo - Part 13

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For more on the alphabet, see Marika's videos about the alphabet and about pronunciation.

 

Let us know if this was helpful, and we’ll talk about another vowel, soon.