Trusting someone or not is important to be able to express in the language you are using. But it can be tricky in Italian because "to trust" happens to be a reflexive verb. 

A reflexive verb in Italian is a particular kind of verb where the subject and object are the same and which requires a reflexive pronoun. In the infinitive, we use the reflexive pronoun si (attached to the end of the verb). For more on reflexive verbs, see this lesson. 

Before discussing how fidarsi works, let's look at a passage from a recent video on Yabla — Provaci ancora prof!. Renzo realizes he has been unfairly questioning his wife Camilla's relationship with reality. 

Sì, va be', forse dovrei imparare a fidarmi un po' di più.

Yes, OK, maybe I should learn to trust you a bit more.

Caption 110, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 16

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One of our subscribers wondered if fidarmi was a mistake, if it should have been fidarti, since, after all, Renzo is talking about trusting the person he is talking to. That's what makes verbs like fidarsi tricky for English speakers. Renzo left out the part where it would have been clearer. He could have said:

Sì, va be', forse dovrei imparare a fidarmi di te un po' di più.

He didn't say it, because it was clear who he was referring to and it was part of a longer conversation. It also makes for an awkward sentence.

Here is the sentence in context where Camilla speaks first.

Però almeno capisci che non sono pazza.

-Sì, va be', forse dovrei imparare a fidarmi un po' di più. -Eh, forse. -La fiducia è importante.

But at least you understand that I am not crazy.

-Yes, OK, maybe I should learn to trust you a bit more. -Yeah, maybe. -Trust is important.

Captions 109-111, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 16

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Here’s how fidarsi works:

In a simple sentence, the reflexive pronoun is placed before the verb. The tricky thing to remember is that the reflexive pronoun corresponds to the subject, in other words, the person who is doing the trusting (or not). To trust is a transitive verb in English. 

Here’s the conjugation in the present tense:

Io mi fido (I trust)
Tu ti fidi (you trust)
Lui/Lei si fida (he/she trusts)
Noi ci fidiamo (we trust)
Voi vi fidate (you all trust)
Loro si fidano (they trust)

Notice the reflexive pronouns (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si) placed before the verb. In fact, we don't normally need to include the subject at all because it's clear from the verb conjugation (note the changing endings of the verb): 

Mi fido (I trust)
Ti fidi (you trust)
Si fida (he/she trusts)
Ci fidiamo (we trust)
Vi fidate (you all trust)
Si fidano (they trust)

To make these sentences negative, where you don't trust someone or something, we place non (not) before the reflexive pronoun. 

Non mi fido (I don't trust)
Non ti fidi (you don't trust)
Non si fida (he/she doesn't trust)
Non ci fidiamo (we don't trust)
Non vi fidate (you all don't trust)
Non si fidano (they don't trust)

In Italian, it's common to use this short phrase as is, with no other object. The object is implied. In English, however, we use "to trust" as a transitive verb with an object. 

Tanto ho capito, io il tipo l'ho inquadrato. Non mi fido.

Anyway I understand, I have that type figured out. I don't trust him.

Caption 38, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 8

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But when specifying whom or what you trust (thus including an indirect pronoun), we follow fidarsi with the preposition di (in, of). 

Non devi avere paura, ci penso io a te, non ti devi preoccupare. -Io mi fido di Lei.

You shouldn't be afraid, I'll take care of you, you shouldn't worry. -I trust you.

Captions 14-16, La linea verticale EP4 - Part 6

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Io non mi fido di te.

I don't trust you.

Caption 35, Sposami EP 1 - Part 1

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 It might be helpful to remember that in English we sometimes do use a preposition, saying, "I trust in you" or "I trust in God." 

Here's an example of a question using a compound past tense:

Ti rendi conto di chi mi sono fidata?

Do you realize whom I trusted?

Caption 10, Provaci ancora prof! S1E2 - Un amore pericoloso - Part 24

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We have the noun la fiducia, too.

Ho pienamente riconquistato la tua fiducia?

Have I fully reconquered your trust?

Caption 83, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 15

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La fiducia does mean "the trust," but it also means "the faith" (which can also translate as la fede in Italian, especially in the context of religion). Note also that after fiducia, the preposition is in (in). It works much like the English "to have faith in someone."

Ho sempre avuto fiducia in te,

I have always had faith in you,

Caption 32, Moscati, l'amore che guarisce EP 2 - Part 19

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We use la fiducia with the verb avere (to have), just like in English, but we can also use the verb dare (to give), in which case it makes more sense to translate this with "to trust."  

Infatti, mi sto occupando da tempo, in prima persona, di questo problema, però Lei deve darmi un po' di fiducia.

In fact, I have been working for a while now, personally, on this problem, but you have to trust me a little.

Captions 13-14, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP 4 Maltempo - Part 19

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So when I want to simply say, "Trust me" I just say: Fidati. No need to say fidati di me unless I need or want to emphasize or be clear about who should be trusted. 

Non ci facciamo una figuraccia con questo Marsili, no? -Fidati. -Mi fido di più se mi dici chi te l'ha detto. -Una persona molto affidabile.

We're not going to look like idiots with this Marsili, right? -Trust me. -I trust you more if you tell me who told you. -A very reliable person.

Captions 50-53, Il Commissario Manara S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde - Part 6

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We hope we have given you a better understanding of the reflexive verb fidarsi and the noun la fiducia, both of which have to do with trust.  With a little practice, you'll be able to use both of these words with confidence in your Italian conversations.

Language doesn't stay the same over time. For example, lots of people say "gonna" instead of "going to," but we still write "going to," unless it's in some dialogue or in an informal circumstance. It's not something English speakers think about too much. In addition, words that used to be two words are now often spelled as one word. The word might go through a stage where a hyphen is used. Sometimes 2 different versions are both correct. A noun can become a verb and vice versa. Language is in constant evolution. 

But let's talk about an Italian language phenomenon common, especially in central and southern Italy, but universal in some cases. It's about how to pronounce a consonant in a new word after the final vowel of the preceding word. This is called raddoppiamento fonosintattico (phonosyntactic doubling), also called rafforzamento fonosintattico (phonosyntactic reinforcement). Non-native speakers might not notice this as anything but simply part of the language, and we likely won't analyze it. We just try to repeat what we hear. We mention this as it might be helpful in understanding why certain words have a double letter in the middle of a word that seems to come from 2 separate words.  

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Examples of vocal doubling of the consonant can be as basic as the C in casa in a sentence such as Andiamo a casa (let's go home). It's often reinforced or almost doubled. If you listen carefully, you might hear it, but you also might not, unless someone shows you how it would sound without reinforcing that C. It's a nuance. If you learn Italian by listening and repeating, you don't need to worry about this at all. You might notice a difference in pronunciation among the various regions of Italy from north to south. The doubling phenomenon seems to increase as we travel southward.

Francesco, andiamo a casa.

Francesco, let's go home.

Caption 25, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP2 Rabbia - Part 5

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But sometimes this raddoppiamento fonosintattico (doubling a letter in speech), as it is called, makes its way, over time, into the written word, and we get what is called univerbazione or "univerbation," in other words, uniting two or more words into one word. In linguistic terms, it's "the diachronic process of forming a new single word from a fixed expression of several words." In English, we talk about "compound words." But in the case of Italian, the new word might be based on the sound of the letters that end the first word and begin the second one rather than just the meaning. 

We have seen this in words such as daccapo instead of da capo (from the beginning), (see this lesson). Both are used. 

We can presume that the adverb nemmeno was ne meno at one time but with the phenomenon of pronouncing one word after the other with a double or reinforced M, the spelling shifted to nemmeno. 

Non ci voglio nemmeno pensare, nemmeno pensare.

I don't even want to think about it, not even to think about it.

Caption 88, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 15

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The list goes on and on. Language nerds might like to see this article (in Italian) about reinforced letters and univerbations in Italian. 

Another classic example is soprattutto (above all). We always have to remember to double that (first) T. Originally, it was two words: sopra (above) and tutto (all). The T was doubled in speaking, and then over time, it began to be written with two T's combining into one word. 

E, soprattutto, mi devo caricare delle storie degli altri, delle vite degli altri.

And, above all, I have to take on other people's stories, other people's lives.

Caption 55, Romanzo Italiano Lazio - Part 7

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Another example of radoppiamento fonosintattico, as well as univerbazione, is Oddio, which comes from Oh Dio! (oh God, oh my God). It expresses shock, agitation, or fright.

Oddio!

Oh my God!

Caption 21, La Ladra EP. 10 - Un ignobile ricatto - Part 9

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Sometimes oddio is not so strong and merits neither an exclamation point nor a capital letter at the beginning. Someone is having a memory lapse, that's all. 

Gino Bresciano, oddio chi era Gino il Bresciano?

Gino the Brescian, oh God, who was Gino the Brescian?

Caption 30, Liberi tutti EP4 Ma la giacca la vuole tutta? - Part 6

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Which brings us to a recent episode of I Bastardi, where Renzo (an unsuspecting suspect) asks Detective Lojacono whether there is news about the case. Lojacono answers first with a no, and then corrects himself using oddio. He's neither shocked nor frightened. He is just re-thinking what he had said originally. The capital letter is likely because it is the beginning of the sentence. 

C'è qualche novità? -No, nulla di importante. Oddio, abbiamo scoperto che Biagio aveva presentato all'ufficio brevetti una richiesta a suo nome, aveva anche versato tremila e settecento euro richiesti.

Is there some news? -No, nothing important. Or rather, we have discovered that Biagio had presented to the patent office, a request in his name, he had also paid the requested three thousand seven hundred euros.

Captions 39-43, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 22

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If we look up oddio in the Treccani dictionary, we see that in addition to "Oh God," another meaning is doubt or uncertainty. Yet another similar use is to correct or attenuate something said previously. So in the previous example, this definition would make more sense. Lojacono is correcting his "no, nothing important," since it is actually evidence about who might have killed Biagio and that is pretty important, contrary to what he said at first. 

The 3 takeaways from this lesson are:

1) There are combinations of words that appear one way, (such as a casa) but are pronounced slightly differently because the consonant at the beginning of a word is doubled or reinforced. This is hard to detect for many of us and we don't have to worry about it. It's something we might start noticing at some point. 

2) Sometimes, but not always, this doubling or reinforcement is reflected in the spelling of a word, in other words, uniting 2 words into 1. For example, in arrivederci (to seeing each other again) the R is doubled. But its relative expression a sentirci (to hear from each other again) has remained as two separate words. Interesting, right?

3) The exclamation oddio falls into both aforementioned categories and can mean something different from "Oh God" or "Oh my God." It's just something to be aware of, something that has come up in a recent Yabla video. We mentioned it because it provided the spark for this lesson.

Language nerds might like to see this article about the reinforced letters and univerbations in Italian. 

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