It's easy to get confused between two similar verbs, supportare and sopportare, especially since they both look similar to the English verb "to support." As a matter of fact, they also both come from the same Latin roots: the Latin prefix "sub-" (meaning "under" or "from below") combined with "portare" (meaning "to carry"). There are other Italian and Latin words with variant spellings, so that's not so unusual, but supportare and sopportare had different evolutions and now have different meanings.
Supportare is a cognate of the English "support," in both physical and figurative senses. It gives a sense of aid, and therefore, of something positive.
La Space Station è fornita di enormi pannelli solari, pannelli fotovoltaici che generano l'energia necessaria per supportare tutta l'infrastruttura e gli astronauti a bordo della stazione orbitale.
The Space Station is equipped with huge solar panels, photovoltaic panels, which generate the necessary energy to support the entire infrastructure and the astronauts aboard the orbital station.
Captions 67-71, Space to ground EP2 Energia dell'universo. Luce - Part 2
Play Caption
Ma ci sono state anche tutte delle cose che sono nate per supportare le famiglie degli operai.
But there have also been all the things that were created to support the families of the workers.
Captions 76-78, Romanzo Italiano Campania - Part 3
Play Caption
There is a noun form as well: il supporto
No, io volevo ri'... chiaramente ringraziare la dottoressa Piras per il supporto che ci ha dato durante tutto il nostro processo investigativo.
No, I wanted, of course, to thank Doctor Piras for the support she gave us during our entire investigative process.
Captions 7-9, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP1 I Bastardi - Part 26
Play Caption
Here are some synonyms for supportare when it's physical or structural:
And here are synonyms when supportare has to do with people, ideas, projects, etc.
Although stemming from the same Latin root, sopportare has an entirely different meaning from supportare. The English word "to bear," with its different connotations, does provide some overlap, however.
Sopportare tends to express a sense of bearing something negative, enduring or tolerating an emotional burden, for example, but also a physical one.
Livietta è troppo piccola per sopportare il peso di un divorzio.
Livietta is too young to bear the burden of a divorce.
Caption 11, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 19
Play Caption
È quando torni dall'ufficio col muso lungo che proprio non ti sopporto.
It's when you come back from the office with a long face that I just can't stand you.
Captions 44-45, Com'è umano lui Film - Part 18
Play Caption
Sopportare has some synonyms, some of which overlap with supportare. Read about one of them, reggere, in this lesson.
In everyday conversation, sopportare will likely be the verb we hear more often, especially in reference to relationships. But as English terminology gains standing in the Italian language, especially in the area of psychology and therapy, supporto is used more and more often, especially in contexts such as the following: support group = gruppo di supporto.
Insomma, il bastardo t'ha fatto un gruppo di supporto perché non suoni abbastanza bene.
So, basically, the bastard made a support group for you because you don't play well enough.
Captions 27-28, La compagnia del cigno S2 EP 2 - Part 3
Play Caption
A common synonym for the noun il supporto is il sostegno.
Questo prodotto si caratterizza della fatica [sic: è caratterizzato dalla fatica] di molti uomini che hanno la capacità di trasformare scarti di produzione alimentare in un prodotto nobile, capace di dare sostegno al cammino dell'uomo.
This product is characterized by the efforts of many men who have the ability to transform food production waste products into a noble product, capable of giving support to man's stride.
Captions 13-16, L'Italia che piace Stile di vita - Part 4
Play Caption
In English, we can talk about a support group, but we can also say someone is being supportive. In this case, too, we can use di supporto. Or we can say solidale.
Dobbiamo essere solidali.
Dobbiamo essere di supporto.
We have to be supportive.
Caption 56, Sposami EP 3 - Part 20
Play Caption
Let's not overlook a very important adjective we use to describe a person or situation: insopportabile, used more often in its negative form. We have used "unbearable" as the English translation, but we can also use "obnoxious," "intolerable," "insufferable," and other similar adjectives.
Melissa è insopportabile,
Melissa is unbearable.
Caption 3, JAMS S1 EP1 - Part 4
Play Caption
A positive form of the adjective exists as well. It's used a lot when referring to pain. Is it bearable? È sopportabile?
Ma vedi, il mondo è diviso in due categorie: quelli come te, che cercano di renderlo migliore, e quelli come me che cercano solo di renderlo sopportabile.
But you see, the world is divided into two categories: the ones like you, who try to make it better and the ones like me who just try to make it tolerable.
Captions 61-63, Il Commissario Manara S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena - Part 3
Play Caption
We hope this lesson hasn't been too insopportabile. We just want to be di supporto, in other words, supportive.
Questions? Comments? Write to us at [email protected]. We love to hear from you!
What words and expressions can we use in Italian to talk about getting along with other people, or not getting along? There are plenty of ways, some more mainstream, and others more colloquial or even vulgar, especially when it's about not getting along.
First of all, let's mention the classic term simpatico, which is tough to translate accurately (see this lesson). Although simpatico is not strictly connected with getting along, it is often a factor.
Someone can be simpatico, meaning they are friendly, easy to get along with, nice, likeable. None of these descriptions alone is enough to express the idea of simpatico. But simpatico has become a word that many English speakers understand. We can use simpatico as an adjective to describe a person:
Nick è uno simpatico, un po' fuori di testa.
Nick is a nice guy, a bit crazy.
Captions 56-57, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP4 Gelo - Part 10
Play Caption
But we can personalize it a bit by using the verb stare instead of essere and adding a personal pronoun. This is one way of getting around the fact that "to like" is transitive in English but not in Italian. We've mentioned in another lesson that mi piace can have various connotations, but stare simpatico is more generic and "safe."
Anche se la conoscevo poco, mi stava simpatica. -Certo.
Even if I didn't know her well, I liked her. -Of course.
Caption 10, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP1 I Bastardi - Part 14
Play Caption
The opposite of simpatico is antipatico. But while we can use antipatico to describe a person, we also use it to describe something unpleasant like a medical procedure. It often means "unpleasant" in this context. In the following example, "unfriendly" was the translation but it could also have been "unpleasant," "not nice." Sometimes we might use "nasty," but that is a strong word.
È severo e pure un po' antipatico.
He is stern and also a bit unfriendly.
Caption 41, Provaci ancora prof! S1E4 - La mia compagna di banco - Part 4
Play Caption
In terms of getting along, the classic phrasal verb is andare d'accordo (literally, "to go in agreement").
Non mi avevi detto che andavate d'accordo? -Sì, andiamo d'accordo.
Didn't you tell me you got along great? -Yes, we get along.
Captions 77-78, Questione di Karma Rai Cinema - Part 15
Play Caption
Sai quanto tuo marito mi sta antipatico, e questo lo abbiamo capito fra le righe, però andare d'accordo con te non è che è facile, eh.
You know how much I don't like your husband, and this we have figured out, reading between the lines, but getting along with you isn't easy, huh.
Captions 5-8, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 EP3 Un cugino in fuga - Part 14
Play Caption
Another way to express "getting along" in a very positive way, is with stare bene. Stare bene can mean "to feel good," "to be comfortable," or "to be in good health." Stare insieme is used when two people are in a couple. Stanno insieme (they are together, they're a couple).
Stiamo bene insieme.
We get along well together/we go well together.
Caption 29, Sposami EP 5 - Part 23
Play Caption
Sometimes you can get along with someone you don't like, but sometimes people are mean. In Italian, we use vedere (to see) instead of "to stand," when you can't stand someone.
Per esempio: "Nicoletta è sempre antipatica con me". E in effetti, anche io non la posso vedere.
For example: "Nicoletta is always nasty to me." And, actually, I can't stand her either.
Captions 41-42, Marika spiega Il verbo vedere - Part 2
Play Caption
Sometimes we don't get along with someone because one of us is a pain in the butt. The socially acceptable way to describe this type of person is un rompiscatole. See this lesson for a closer look.
Problemi? -No, niente, è solo 'sta [questa] rompiscatole.
Problems? -No, nothing. It's just this pain in the ass.
Caption 91, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 1
Play Caption
Now we get to more vulgar terms. Replacing rompiscatole with rompipalle or rompiballe (literally "ballbreaker," pain in the ass) is more vulgar. We again use stare (to be, to stay) together with a word for male genitalia or some euphemism. We are describing someone who can't stand someone else. The next example is quite vulgar, although used a lot, except in polite company.
Magari gli stavo sul cazzo.
Maybe to him I was a pain in the ass.
Caption 67, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP1 I Bastardi - Part 9
Play Caption
To make this more socially acceptable, it could be:
Magari gli stavo sulle scatole.
Mi ha accollato agli altri a forza e il risultato finale è che sono appena arrivato e sto già sul cazzo a tutti.
He forced me on the others and the end result is that I only just arrived and I'm already pissing everyone off.
Captions 31-32, La compagnia del cigno EP 2 - Part 3
Play Caption
We might have translated this another way, too:
Sto già sul cazzo a tutti.
Everyone already hates me/can't stand me/I am already hated by everyone.
Although the word order is different from what we say in English, the idea is that someone is hated by someone else.
Thanks for reading. Please write to us if you have questions or comments about this topic: [email protected]
Spanish
French
German
Chinese
English
English 
Español
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
