Hand in hand with mano

By Sigrid Lee

La mano ("the hand") is one of the first Italian nouns you'll learn. It has a small surprise: although it ends in -o, like many masculine nouns, it is feminine (la mano, le mani).

But that's not the only interesting thing about this word. It has also given rise to a whole family of everyday Italian words—from maniglia (handle) and manuale (manual) to manette (handcuffs) and manodopera (workforce, labor). Once you see the common thread, they're much easier to remember.

Che tenerezza. -Sta in buone mani, dai.

How sweet. -She's in good hands, come on.

Caption 63, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S2 EP1 Cuccioli - Part 1
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We can use it literally, as in shaking hands. Italian uses the singular: stringere la mano.

Avanti, sii sportivo, stringile la mano.

Come on, be sportsmanlike, shake her hand.

Captions 2-3, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP3 La terza vittima - Part 20
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banner3 PLACEHOLDER

One important way to use mano is when you lend a hand. Italians use the verb dare (to give).

Intanto ti do una mano a finire le fettuccine.

In the meantime, I'll give you a hand finishing the fettuccine.

Caption 77, Com'è umano lui Film - Part 30
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Several words for objects that we hold or operate with our hands contain the root man-. In many cases, Italian and
English have developed along similar lines. Even when the exact Italian word doesn’t immediately come to mind,
recognizing the root can help you understand it from the context.

The handle of a door (or many other objects) is una maniglia. Do we ever stop to think about the word hand inside the English word handle?

E sotto la maniglia abbiamo la toppa delle chiavi.

And beneath the door handle we have the keyhole.

Caption 12, Marika spiega L'ingresso di casa
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Il manubrio has two common meanings. At the gym, it means a dumbbell: a weight designed to be held in one hand. It can also refer to the handlebar of a bicycle or motorcycle.

Be careful not to confuse un manubrio with un bilanciere, which is a barbell. In the following clip, the speaker says manubrio, but the object shown is actually a bilanciere.

Può pesare da uno a venti chili o di più. Si solleva con le braccia. Cos'è? Il manubrio [sic: bilanciere].

It can weigh from one to twenty kilos or more. One lifts it up with one's arms. What is it? A dumbbell [barbell].

Captions 38-41, Indovina un po' EP 16
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When referring to a bicycle or motorcycle, Italian uses the singular il manubrio for the entire handlebar assembly, whereas English generally uses the plural "handlebars."

È Lei che se prendeva una botta di manubrio sulla schiena, non avrebbe certo giovato alla sua lombalgia, eh.

You are the one who, if you had gotten hit by the handlebars in your back, for sure, it wouldn't have done your lumbago any good, huh.

Captions 13-14, Provaci ancora prof! S2EP2 Una mina vagante - Part 5
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Let's hope you never have to use this next word:

Ti devo mettere le manette o stai tranquillo?

Do I have to put handcuffs on or will you stay quiet?

Caption 52, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP2 Rabbia - Part 9
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Finally, we have il manuale, which is a cognate of the English word "manual." It comes from a word meaning “of the hand” and now commonly refers to a handbook or guide — book you can hold in your hand.

Il problema è che non esiste un vero manuale su che cosa è corretto e cosa non è corretto.

The problem is that there is no real manual on what is proper and what is not proper.

Captions 28-29, Fumettology Diabolik - Part 8
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And when we want to distinguish between doing something with a machine or by hand, we use the preposition a (to, at, in the manner of) mano (hand).

I pomodori si staccano dalla pianta rigorosamente a mano, seguendo il grado di maturazione dei frutti.

The tomatoes are detached from the plant strictly by hand, according to the degree of the ripening of the fruit.

Captions 36-37, Pomodori Vulcanici Pomodori del Vesuvio - Part 1
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When you go to Italy and want to buy a mug to take home, it might say: dipinto a mano (hand-painted).

Some verbs also belong to the mano family. Maneggiare means “to handle,” “to operate,” or “to manipulate.”

Eh, questo è uno strumento tipico per maneggiare gli spaghetti o la pasta lunga.

Uh, this is a typical instrument for handling spaghetti or long pasta.

Captions 106-107, L'Italia a tavola Tonnarelli cacio e pepe - Part 1
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At first, mantenere might not look as though it belongs to the same family. However, it comes from the Latin expression "manu tenere," meaning “to hold in the hand.” This helps explain why mantenere can mean “to maintain,” “to keep,” or “to support,” depending on the context.

Io non posso fidarmi di chi non può mantenere le promesse.

I can't trust someone who doesn't keep his promises.

Captions 15-16, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP4 Maltempo - Part 19
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We also use mantenere to mean “to support,” as in parents financially supporting their children.

Ma come faccio a mantenere un figlio?

But how can I support a child?

Caption 25, Com'è umano lui Film - Part 10
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If you do a search of mantenere (and the different conjugations, too), you'll find a wide variety of examples, with different contexts and nuances.

If mantenere means "to maintain" or "to keep," you won't be surprised to encounter the noun manutenzione ("maintenance"). It's a useful word you'll often see on signs, bills, rental agreements, and public notices.

Per salire si paga un ticket, che serve per la bonifica e la manutenzione del sentiero.

To go up one buys a ticket, which is used for the reclaiming and maintenance of the trail.

Caption 28, Linea Blu Le Eolie - Part 16

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When you have work done at home, it's typical to divide the bill into i materiali (the materials) and la manodopera (the labor). The word is made up of mano (hand) (that does the work) and d'opera (of the work, the job). It has become one word (univerbazione) but clearly was 3 separate words at one time. The word can also be written mano d’opera and refers either to the workers performing a job or to the cost of their labor.

Chi la paga la stoffa e la manodopera?

Who will pay for the fabric? And the labor?

Caption 41, Sposami EP 4 - Part 17
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Italian is full of word families like this one. The more you notice the connections between related words, the easier it becomes to guess meanings and build your vocabulary naturally.

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