A noun that crops up a lot in various contexts is il discorso. It can be tricky to translate because it can mean so many things. At a basic level, we can detect the cognate: the discourse. The English noun discourse is a word we can make sense of, even though we might not use it all that often in everyday conversation. But what does il discorso mean in Italian?

In Italian, un discorso can be a speech, a conversation, a story, or even a theme. In the following example, it seems to mean "theme."

Il discorso simbolico dei balconi prosegue all'interno della casa nobiliare.

The symbolic theme of the balconies continues inside this aristocratic house.

Caption 2, Meraviglie S2 EP3 - Part 11

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While discorso can mean "theme," it's used later in the same episode to indicate either conversation or speech. 

Immaginate le atmosfere, i discorsi, i silenzi,

Imagine the atmospheres, the conversations, the silences,

Caption 11, Meraviglie S2 EP3 - Part 11

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It can also mean "discussion" or "argument."

Fine del discorso.

End of discussion.

Caption 20, La Ladra EP. 7 - Il piccolo ladro - Part 10

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But it can also mean other things.

In an argument, in English, you might say, "What on earth are you talking about?" or "What is this nonsense?"

In Italian, you would say something like:

"Ma che discorsi sono?"

or

Che discorso fai?

If you do a search of discorso or discorsi in Yabla videos, you will find plenty of examples in various contexts.

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