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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We've talked about the verb correre before (check out this lesson). It's a verb that means a great many things so you'll want to be familiar with it. But in this lesson, we want to talk about correre meaning "to run," "to race," and "to rush."

Correre can be a bit confusing in the context of sports.

Correre can mean "to run." Some people say fare footing, but footing has gone out of style, for the most part. 

Sì, tu invece sveglia all'alba, a correre... -Certo. -Scusa, non hai sempre detto che sono patetici quelli che fanno footing a una certa età?

Yes, but you, up at dawn, running... -Of course. -Excuse me, haven't you always said that those who go running at a certain age are pathetic?

Captions 37-39, Provaci ancora prof! S2E3 Dietro la porta - Part 1

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When I say, vado a correre, that usually means "I'm going running (on foot)."

Someone might ask you where you were:

Dov'eri? -A correre.

Where were you? -Out running. 

So it's good to keep in mind that you need the preposition a before the verb in the infinitive. 

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Correre can also refer to bicycle racing. Lots of people ride bikes, but when you are part of a racing team, even an amateur racing team, you are un corridore or, if you are a female, una corridora or una corritrice.

If you just ride a bike for fun or sport but you don't compete, you'll usually call yourself un ciclista or una ciclista. 

Monte Pellegrino è anche un luogo d'incontro di molti sportivi, specie i ciclisti, che amano le ripide salite e discese.

Monte Pellegrino is also a place for sportsmen to get together, especially cyclists, who love the steep climbs and descents.

Captions 20-21, Adriano Monte Pellegrino

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Or you can say something like, Mi piace andare in bici.

Andare in bicicletta è veramente divertente.

Riding a bike is really fun.

Caption 31, In giro per l'Italia Lucca - Part 3

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It's common, when referring to a bike ride, to say fare un giro in bici/bicicletta (to go for a bike ride).

Faccio un giro in bici (I'm going for a bike ride).

Poter andare a fare un giro in bicicletta dove mi pare a me [sic], mi piace tanto.

To be able to go for a ride on my bike wherever I want, I like that a lot.

Caption 21, Fuori era primavera Viaggio nell'Italia del lockdown - Part 16

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Correre can also refer to rushing around without having anything to do with bicycles or running.

Dove corri, Pisane'? -Tengo [napoletano: ho] da fare.

Where are you rushing off to, Pisane'? -I have stuff to do.

Captions 34-35, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 13

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The noun form is la corsa. It can be a race of any kind. 

E per gli amanti delle camminate, ogni sabato mattina alle nove c'è la possibilità di partecipare al "Park Run", la corsa che si svolge sulle mura di Lucca.

And for those who love to walk, every Saturday morning at nine, there's the possibility of participating in "Park Run," the race that happens on the walls of Lucca.

Captions 39-42, In giro per l'Italia Lucca - Part 4

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E si vede un'incredibile scena di corsa di carri,

And you see an incredible chariot race scene,

Caption 9, Meraviglie EP. 4 - Part 12

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Another word for race is gara, which can also mean "competition."

La gara più importante era una corsa tra cavalli.

The most important competition was a horse race.

Caption 29, In giro per l'Italia Roma Piazza Navona

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You can also use the noun la corsa when you have raced around trying to get stuff done. 

Ho fatto una corsa (I came in a hurry/I ran around).

Or you can say this a different way.

Sono di corsa (I am pressed for time). 

As you can see, correre, together with its related words, is very useful in many contexts!

Thanks for reading!

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