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Expression: Chi dorme non piglia pesci

Here is an expression that is an admonishment not to be lazy. In English, we put this idea into words with the expression: The early bird catches the worm. So in Italian, it's a negative statement and in English, it's a positive statement. 

 

"Chi dorme non piglia pesci". Sì, perché se noi dormiamo pr... molto probabilmente perderemmo parecchie occasioni.

"He who sleeps will not catch any fish". [The early bird catches the worm.] Yes, because if we sleep pr... we would very probably miss many opportunities.

Captions 47-49, Marika spiega Proverbi italiani - Part 1

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You might have noticed right away that while in English "fish" is a collective noun and is the same in the singular and the plural, in Italian, the plural of pesce is pesci.

 

Pescatori (fishermen) are noted for getting up early to take advantage of the increased activity of fish around dawn. If you sleep instead of getting up, the fishermen will have caught the best fish and there might not be anything left for you.

 

The verb dormire means "to sleep" and in this case, "to sleep in" or "to sleep late."

 

Pigliare is another way of saying prendere (to take, to catch). Pigliare is more common in the south but is likely familiar to most Italians. 

 

Si piglia tutto [sic: tutti] i profumi e i sapori della...

It takes on all the scents and the flavors of the...

Caption 44, In cucina con Antonino Episodio 5: il coltivatore del "Limone di Sorrento IGP"

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So it's important not to sleep late or procrastinate when something important is at stake. If you don't act, you might not get what you want. 

Expressions