When we try to speak Italian, but our thoughts are in English, it's hard sometimes to find the right word as well as remembering or learning how to use it. This is often because in one language we'd use a verb and in the other, we'd use a noun plus a different verb. 

An example that comes to mind is when you talk about someone hitting someone else. If we look up the verb "to hit," there are various choices, but the main one is perhaps colpire. If we look up colpire, there is a wide range of meanings, including figurative ones.

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One word Italians use a lot is the noun uno schiaffo. The sound of it kind of fits the action. But how do we turn that into a verb? We don't say schiaffare for this. The verb schiaffare does exist but it's about flinging something somewhere. When we really need a verb that means "to slap," we can use schiaffeggiare. That's good to know, but knowing how to use schiaffo is perhaps more important, given its popularity. For example, out of thousands of videos on Yabla, there are quite a few with schiaffo and none with schiaffeggiare. 

We turn to the verb dare (to give). You give someone a slap — dare uno schiaffo. A slap can be of various degrees, sometimes pretty mild. A woman might slap a man who tries to kiss her. It does the job but isn't necessarily violent. But lots of times uno schiaffo is much more serious and "giving a slap" doesn't really render the meaning. It's not always forceful enough. For Yabla videos, we usually translate dare uno schiaffo with "to give someone a slap," but it doesn't always fill the bill. Technically, uno schiaffo is understood to be given to someone's face, with one's open hand.

Let's look at a few examples from Yabla videos. 

Ci voleva [calabrese: gli volevo] dare tanti schiaffi, se li meritava tutti li [calabrese: gli] schiaffi.

I wanted to give him a lot of slaps. He [would have] deserved all those slaps.

Captions 34-35, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 15

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In English we might have said, I wanted to hit him. He deserved to be beaten up, to be smacked around.

Se mi facevi cadere ti davo uno schiaffo, ti davo.

If you had made me fall, I'd have given you a smack, I would have.

Caption 1, Il Commissario Manara S2EP1 - Matrimonio con delitto - Part 13

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What would we say in English? Maybe "I'd have hit you." "I'd have smacked you."

Dare isn't the only verb available for coupling with schiaffo.

We can also use the verb tirare  (to throw, to pull, etc) to give it more emphasis:

Le hai fatto una scenata al pub, le hai anche tirato uno schiaffo.

You made a scene over her at the pub, you also slapped her.

Captions 8-9, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 5

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Prendere a schiaffi (to slap around) is another variation, with the verb prendere (to take).

Senti un po', ma tu prendi a schiaffi tutti i tuoi ex compagni di corso, oppure è un trattamento speciale?

Listen up, do you slap all your former classmates around, or is it some special treatment?

Captions 4-5, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 5

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We can also add a modifier to make uno schiaffo into something more serious, with schiaffone. 

L'altra mattina stavo in cucina mangiandomi un panino, è entrata, mi ha dato uno schiaffone,

The other morning, I was in the kitchen eating a sandwich. She came in, she gave me a hard slap,

Captions 53-54, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 EP3 Un cugino in fuga - Part 7

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As we know, Italians love to use the number 2 to mean "some." And with schiaffo, too, it can be very effective.

Ce vorrebbero du sganassoni, ce vorrebbero [romanesco: ci vorrebbero due schiaffi]. -Cattivo.

He needs two smacks, he does. -Mean.

Caption 52, Un Figlio a tutti i costi film - Part 1

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So the upshot is to remember that in Italian, when slaps, smacks, or cuffs are called for, we give them by way of the verb dare (to give). As we can see, dare is a very powerful verb. Schiaffo does translate with slap, but it can be a bit more general. It's a great word to know!

A good remedy for assimilating phrases like dare uno schiaffo and its variations on it is to watch movies and TV shows (for example, on Yabla) where there's plenty of dialogue. Watch, listen, repeat, and then converse in Italian, even if it means talking to yourself in the mirror! Reading comic books in Italian is a good idea, too. 

In future lessons, we'll look at other ways of hitting someone (or rather, talking about it), just because sometimes we need to understand these things, not because we are in favor of violence in any form. We are not!

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