Although lattina and scatola can both mean "can," it's worth taking a look at the differences in usage between these two nouns.
Note we say in scatola to mean "canned," in other words, "in a can." We're talking about how these goods are packaged, not where they are at the moment.
E puoi trovare tutto quello che non ha una scadenza breve, come sale, pasta, olio, salsa di pomodoro, legumi in scatola, farine,
And you can find everything that doesn't have a short shelf life, like salt, pasta, oil, tomato sauce, canned beans and lentils, flour,
Captions 48-51, Vocaboliamo Supermercato - Part 4
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If, while I am cooking, I can't find the beans to add to my soup.
Dove sono i miei fagioli (where are my beans)?
The answer does not use in scatola in this case, but rather nella scatola. We're not talking about how they are packaged, we're talking about where the beans are.
I fagioli sono ancora nella scatola (the beans are still in the can).
—because I haven't taken them out yet.
Sometimes a can is small, such as those for tuna or cat food. In the example below, Marika tells us the tuna is canned (in scatola) to distinguish it from tonno fresco (fresh tuna). Then she mentions it being small and uses a diminutive: scatoletta.
Del tonno, semplice tonno in scatola sottolio. Questa è una scatoletta di duecentocinquanta grammi...
Some tuna, simple canned tuna, in oil. This is a small can of two hundred and fifty grams...
Captions 45-46, Marika spiega L'insalata di pasta - Part 1
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Although, as we mentioned above, una scatola can be a can, especially when referring to canned goods, it's also, or even primarily, "a box." In the next example, scatola means "box," We can imagine a box, such as a cereal box. But it could also be one of those round (or square) tins of butter cookies.
Quantità: "Abbiamo mangiato una scatola di biscotti in due".
Quantity: "We ate a box of cookies between us."
Caption 14, Marika spiega Preposizioni semplici - Part 2
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In this next example, la scatola is a large, oblong cardboard box that contains a wedding gown.
Quando lo metti nella scatola, lo devi stendere... -Permesso?
When you put it in the box, you have to lay it flat... -May I come in?
Caption 1, Sposami EP 5 - Part 10
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Scatola is a fairly generic term.
Non facevamo prima a prendere una scatola di cioccolatini?
Wouldn't it have been quicker for us to get a box of chocolates?
Caption 33, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 EP5 Lele, ti presento Irene - Part 2
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Speaking generically, we might use the noun scatola for a cardboard box, but we can also say una scatola di cartone, because cartone means cardboard. But sometimes, we just say un cartone to mean "a cardboard box."
The noun la lattina comes from la latta (the tin [the metal], the metal sheet). These days, una lattina is usually made of aluminum and is very lightweight compared to una scatola for beans or tuna. For items such as bulk olive oil, we can talk about una latta da 3 kg (a three-kilo can).
In this next example, the speaker uses the noun latta to let us know that the jingles on a tambourine used to be made from the top of a can, but especially that the can was made of metal, likely tin, since she is talking about earlier times.
E questo perché, eh, viene applicate... vengono applicati i sonagli, o cimbali, detti, eh... che una volta originariamente, pensate, erano proprio presi per... dalla latta per le sardine.
And that's because, uh, jingles, or so-called cymbals are attached, uh... that at one time, originally, imagine, they were actually taken for... from a tin for sardines.
Captions 8-10, Eleonora suona il Tamburello
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The upshot is that if you are looking for a soft drink or a beer, la lattina is the word you are looking for. If it's beans, then you'll want una scatola or una scatoletta if it's on the small side. And it's good to keep in mind that una scatola is not necessarily made of metal.
In a future lesson or video lesson, we'll discuss other types of containers.
Over the years, Italians have changed their eating habits. There are still people who do things the traditional way, especially for special occasions, but since lifestyles have changed, eating habits have changed, too.
It used to be that shops would close for the (long) lunch hour. There would have been time to go home to a full lunch and even a nap before going back to work. Those days are over for lots of Italians. The laws changed, and many shops have orario continuato (open all day), so lunch hours tend to be shorter.
Many bars (read: cafes) now serve not only panini and toast (grilled cheese), but often primi piatti (pasta dishes) or un piatto freddo (a cold lunch), as well. It's usually a pretty quick and inexpensive way to have lunch. A sign outside might say pranzi di lavoro (work lunch).
These quick lunches are in contrast to a full meal, which includes some or all of the following: antipasto (appetizer), primo (pasta, rice, or soup), secondo (meat, fish, or cold plate) with contorno (side dish, usually vegetables or salad), dolce o frutta (dessert or fruit), caffe (coffee), amaro (or something stronger such as grappa).
But what exactly is un amaro? The adjective amaro means "bitter." In herbal medicine, tinctures are a common remedy, made by infusing alcohol with specific medicinal herbs, which are often bitter. One example is tarassaco (dandelion) used as a spring tonic, good for stimulating the liver, helping to eliminate toxins.
L'amaro has its origins in herbal medicine, being produced in monasteries or pharmacies, and has become a noun meaning a mildly alcoholic beverage produced by macerating — in other words, soaking for a lengthy period — herbs, roots, flowers, bark, and or citrus rind in alcohol (of different types), adding sugar at some point, and letting it age for about a month. It's often thought of as being medicinal, aiding in digestion. But lots of people drink un amaro because they like it.
Un amaro is part of a larger category called i digestivi (alcoholic drinks meant to help you digest). Non-Italians often prefer an after-dinner drink or digestivo such as Limoncello to an actual amaro, as it is more attractive, cold, and more sweet/sour than bitter. And of course, there is even a larger category called i liquori (the liqueurs).
Tourists traveling around Italy might be familiar with bright yellow limoncello made from lemon rind (not lemon juice, as you might imagine). The same process is used for an orange liqueur called, appropriately, arancello, since arancia is the word for "orange." In fact, Yabla has a video with the recipe for arancello. The important thing is to have fruit that hasn't been sprayed, since it's the rind you use.
Il prodotto finale sarà questo: l'arancello siciliano, fatto con bucce di arance biologiche.
The final product will be this: Sicilian arancello, made with the rinds of organic oranges.
Captions 49-50, Adriano L'arancello di Marina
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Limoncello and arancello are usually served from the freezer. They don't freeze because of the alcohol, but remain very cold.
One famous after-dinner drink is "Strega" (strega means "witch" as in "witch's brew"). It's made in Benevento, Campania, and involves about 70 different herbs and spices, among them: cannella (cinnamon), ginepro (juniper), menta (mint), zafferano (saffron), and more. It’s the saffron that gives Strega its characteristic yellow color.
You may have heard about the Premio Strega for literature in some of Yabla videos. The name of this literary award comes from the company that produces Strega, whose owner helped create this award in the 1940s. Learn more about the Strega award here, with a list of all the winners over the years. Maybe you'll find a book in Italian you want to read!
In the following example, a Strega award winner tells a story about taking someone's suggestion seriously (to drink plenty of Strega).
"Mi raccomando, bevi tanto Strega, bevi tanto Strega, festeggiamo bevendo tanto Strega".
"Please, drink a lot of Strega [digestive bitters] drink lots of Strega, let's celebrate by drinking lots of Strega."
Captions 33-35, Romanzo Italiano Lazio - Part 10
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Although this type of digestive liquore is made in many different countries, amaro is a word used uniquely in Italy.
One famous brand of amaro is L'amaro del Capo. Marika mentions it in her tour of a typical Italian supermarket.
Qui trovi una vasta scelta di liquori nazionali, come il Limoncello e L'amaro del Capo.
Here, you will find a vast selection of national liqueurs, like Limoncello and L'amaro del Capo [digestive bitters from Calabria].
Captions 11-12, Vocaboliamo Supermercato - Part 5
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Some people make their own amaro. If you have a walnut tree (un noce), for example, the still-green hulls can be used to make nocino. A homemade liqueur can make a great Christmas present.
When you want something alcoholic after the coffee you have after a meal, it can be called a "coffee killer": un ammazzacaffè.
It's not necessarily un amaro and might be something stronger such as grappa.
Va be', che, che, che, che fa? -Ah, alle venti ha cenato alla trattoria Da Mimmo's. Spaghetti, cotoletta. -Caffè e ammazzacaffè, commissario.
OK, what, what, what, what does he do? -Ah, at eight P.M. he had dinner at Mimmo's eatery. Spaghetti, breaded cutlet. -Coffee and coffee killer [after-dinner drink], Commissioner.
Captions 43-44, Il Commissario Manara S1EP12 - Le verità nascoste - Part 5
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Whether you drink alcoholic beverages or not, it's good to know what they are, especially when being entertained or going to dinner in Italy.
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.
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!
In a recent lesson, we talked about carri (carts). But most carts get around on wheels, so let's make that our next topic. The basic word for "wheel" is ruota, from the Latin "rota." As with other words with "uo," such as uomo (man), cuore (heart), and uovo (egg), Tuscans tend to omit the "u" when speaking, so the words become omo, core, and ovo.
Ma scusa, tu la ruota di scorta non ce l'hai?
But excuse me, don't you have a spare tire?
Caption 37, La Ladra EP. 2 - Viva le spose - Part 11
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Interestingly, when talking about a spare tire, we use la ruota, the word for "wheel," but when talking about the tire as opposed to the wheel, the informal word is la gomma or, more properly, il pneumatico.
Comunque, se non era per una gomma, io vi avrei raggiunti.
Anyway, if it hadn't been for a tire, I would have caught up with you.
Caption 13, Provaci ancora prof! S1E4 - La mia compagna di banco - Part 10
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Quanto volete guadagnare? E per cosa? Per mettere il fotovoltaico in campagna? Eh? Per comprare pneumatici dalle prestazioni più brillanti?
How much do you want to make on it? And for what? To put solar panels in the countryside? Huh? To buy better performing tires?
Captions 37-39, La linea verticale EP 6 - Part 1
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When the wheels are smaller, there are different variants.
In the lesson aboutt il carro, the word for "wheelchair" was la carrozzella but it is also called una sedia a rotelle.
Se io non stavo sulla sedia a rotelle, tu me lo davi lo stesso questo bacio? -No.
If I weren't in a wheelchair, you, would you still have given me that kiss? -No.
Captions 29-30, Sposami EP 2 - Part 20
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In this next example, we are talking about a little shopping cart to pull along. Its wheels are small.
Puoi scegliere tra un cestino da tenere in mano e uno un po' più grande che è dotato di rotelle.
You can choose between a hand-held basket and one a little larger that's equipped with wheels.
Captions 32-33, Vocaboliamo Supermercato - Part 2
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Another context in which we use rotelle is rollerskating: il pattinaggio a rotelle.
While rotella is already a diminutive of ruota, we can go even smaller:
Allora, metti la rotellina su due.
Well, put the dial on "two."
Caption 16, La Ladra EP. 3 - L'oro dello squalo - Part 11
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Note that the diminutives mostly derive from the Tuscan or Latin form: rota.
Let's not forget the important verb ruotare! It can mean either "to revolve" or "to rotate."
Tutta Firenze ruota intorno a questa piazza con il Duomo, con la cupola, con il campanile, progettato da Giotto nel Trecento.
All of Florence revolves around this square with the Duomo, with the dome, with the bell tower, designed by Giotto in the fourteenth century.
Captions 31-33, Meraviglie EP. 3 - Part 10
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If you ever have to drive or ride a bike in Italy, you will want to know about traffic circles: le rotatorie. In some regions, they use the word la rotonda.
Lì svolti di nuovo a destra, fai una rotatoria -mmh. -continui sulla sinistra e troverai un supermarket.
There you turn right again, go around the traffic circle -hmm. -stay on the left, and you will see a supermarket.
Captions 37-39, Milena e Mattia L'incontro
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It might be helpful to think of the English words "rotate" and "rotation" when trying to come up with la ruota and ruotare.
Thanks for reading. If you see additional variants of ruota, let us know and we will add them to this lesson. Write to us at newsletter@yabla.com.
Since the wheel was invented, carts have been used for transporting goods. But carts and similar vehicles come in all shapes and sizes and are used for so many different things, so it's natural for there to be variants depending on the size and function.
The basic noun in Italian is carro. Its definition in Italian is this:
Veicolo a trazione animale o meccanica, costituito da un piano sostenuto da due o quattro ruote, usato per il trasporto di materiali e merci.
Vehicle that is mechanical or pulled by animals, constisting of a flat bed supported by two or four wheels, used to transport materials and goods.
The noun carro by itself generally indicates a rather large-sized cart. But what it's used for is usually in the form of a second noun used as an adjective, an adjective, or as an alteration of the word carro.
Carro is used together with a modifier describing its function:
Ho capito la situazione, ma non... chiama il carro attrezzi, il soccorso stradale, qualcosa.
I understand the situation, but I can't... call the tow truck, the roadside assistance, something.
Captions 38-39, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 4
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Essentially, you are loading a car on a big "cart" equipped to do that. It's attrezzato (equipped) with gli attrezzi (equipment).
In a parade or procession, called una sfilata, un corteo, un corteo storico, or una processione, the floats are called i carri.
Come vedi c'è il carro di Santa Rosalia e al posto della Santa... -E lui lì sopra.
As you can see, there's the Saint Rosalia [patron saint of Palermo] float and in place of the Saint... -And him on top of it.
Captions 25-26, Dottor Pitrè e le sue storie - Part 2
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For a funeral procession, as well, the noun carro is used. Even today, with a motorized hearse, the same term is employed.
Sarà mica un carro funebre?
It wouldn't be a hearse, would it?
Caption 64, Provaci ancora prof! S1E2 - Un amore pericoloso - Part 12
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Literally, "the armed cart."
Me lo dici che premio è? Un carro armato vero, nuovo nuovo.
Will you tell me what the prize is? A real tank, brand new.
Captions 20-21, Trailer La vita è bella - Roberto Benigni
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We can use diminutive suffixes to indicate a smaller carro.
È su un carretto trainato forse da una pecora, comunque da un ovino ed è un momento felice, anche se per molti esperti, si tratta di un viaggio simbolico verso l'aldilà, il regno dei morti.
He is on a cart drawn by perhaps a sheep, in any case by an ovine and it is a happy moment, even if for many experts, it involves a symbolic journey to the afterlife, the kingdom of the dead.
Captions 53-55, Meraviglie EP. 2 - Part 6
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The constellations we call "the Big Dipper" and "the Little Dipper" are called respectively il Grande carro and il Piccolo carro in Italian.
There are small carts, too, for transporting things by hand.
Un carrello can be the kind you use at the supermarket, but it can be any kind of cart, trolley, or dolly for transporting relatively small items.
Una rana in servizio non dovrebbe spingere il carrello delle clienti.
A frog on duty shouldn't push the customers' carts.
Captions 65-66, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 3 S3EP4 Lo stagno del ranocchio - Part 6
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Be'? Che state a fa' co' 'ste carriole?
Well? What are you doing with these wheelbarrows?
Caption 2, Spot pubblicitario TIM Tribù
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A wheelbarrow with only 2 wheels might be called una carretta, but this word might also refer to a wreck of a car, a jalopy.
Signore? Sono qua, nella carrozza. Dico a Voi.
Sir? I am here, in the carriage. I'm talking to you.
Captions 32-33, Caravaggio EP1 - Part 9
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But the car of a train might also be called un vagone, an Italianized version of "wagon."
Ferma solo a Guidonia, Firenze, Genova e c'è un vagone ristorante per bambini belli che mangiano tutta la pappa.
It stops only in Guidonia, Florence, Genoa, and there is a dining car for nice children who eat all their mush.
Captions 16-18, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 EP3 Un cugino in fuga - Part 2
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La carrozzella in this day and age usually refers to a wheelchair, but once, it referred to a buggy.
Qua, tolto il figlio con la madre in carrozzella non s'è visto nessuno.
Here, apart from the son with his mother in a wheelchair, I didn't see anyone.
Caption 15, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP3 I giardini della memoria - Part 15
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Una carrozzina may refer to a baby carriage, but some people use it to mean "wheelchair." It's important to consider the context!
La carrozzeria is the chassis of a car, as well as the place where a chassis is repaired.
I fanalini della macchina rotti, le ruote bucate. -Fanalini della macchina rotti. -Per non parlare della carrozzeria.
The taillights of my car broken, the tires slashed. -Taillights broken. -Not to mention the body.
Captions 42-43, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 20
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The person who repairs the chassis of a vehicle is called il carrozziere.
Va bene, allora parlo un attimo col carrozziere.
All right. So I'll have a quick word with the body shop guy.
Caption 16, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 14
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There are undoubtedly more words stemming from il carro, and feel free to let us know, so we can add them to this lesson!
In this lesson, we look at prescindere, an interesting verb that can be used at least 3 different ways. It always involves a preposition, either after it, before it, or both. The basic meaning remains the same, but as you will see, it can be tricky to translate. We will look at all three ways, but let's keep in mind that the first way is the most complicated because we use the conjugated form of the verb. The other two ways use the infinitive, making it easier to figure out.
First, let's unpack this verb because it looks like it might be formed from another verb such as scindere, plus the prefix pre-, standing for "before." And yes! Scindere does exist! It means "to divide," "to separate," or, figuratively, "to differentiate" or "to distinguish." With this in mind, let's look at this "compound" verb that will become part of a phrasal verb.
What does the dictionary say about prescindere? One synonym for the verb prescindere is escludere (to exclude), in other words, to leave out or set aside.
Nasco uomo d'acqua, e il mio racconto non può prescindere da avvenimenti scanditi dal ritmo delle acque, con le sue nebbie, che si disperdono nelle pianure.
I was born a man of the water, and my story can't leave out events articulated by the rhythm of the water, with its fog, that gets lost in the plains.
Captions 14-16, L'arte della cucina Terre d'Acqua - Part 7
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We could also say "My story can't be separate from events..." My story can't be divorced from events..."
The funny thing about prescindere is that it is intransitive, so it doesn't take a direct object, but instead is (usually) followed by the preposition da (of, from). As we have seen in the past, the series about chef Gualtiero Marchesi has moments of fancy prose, and the previous citation is a great example. We note that the English verb "to prescind" does exist, but it's rare. We could even use it as a translation, but it might not be all that helpful to the learner. Language nerds might want to compare and contrast it with "to rescind," which we do use quite a bit, especially in legal contexts.
In the following example, a writer is talking about childhood using prescindere as a conjugated verb, with the preposition da following it. We have translated it in this case with "to be independent of" but it could also be "to be separate from," among other solutions.
Una delle cose più sorprendenti dei figli di solito è realizzare che i propri genitori hanno una vita che prescinde da loro, che li precede e, in parte, li esclude.
One of the most surprising things about children usually is realizing that their parents have a life, which is independent of them, which precedes them, and, in part, excludes them.
Captions 46-49, Romanzo Italiano Lazio - Part 6
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In everyday life, if you listen to Italians converse, you'll often hear prescindere with the preposition a just before it and da just after it: a prescindere da... and we will look at examples of this below. But it might be easier to understand a kind of synonym many Italians use to mean pretty much the same thing: indipendentemente da. That's a mouthful, but easier to understand.
Indipendentemente dal genere o dal numero, io uso sempre "cui", "cui", "cui", "cui", che è invariabile,
Regardless of the gender or the number, I always use "which," "which," "which," "which," which is invariable,
Captions 43-44, Corso di italiano con Daniela Pronomi relativi - Part 3
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Quindi, io posso scegliere una di queste forme indipendentemente... non ci [sic]... indipendentemente da tutto, non c'è una regola.
So, I can choose one of these forms, not taking into account... there's no... regardless of anything. There's no rule.
Captions 30-33, Corso di italiano con Daniela Superlativo assoluto - Part 2
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Let's look at some examples from Yabla videos to discover how a prescindere da is used in a sentence. We begin with Marika, who is speaking pretty casually.
Oggi, a prescindere da come sia iniziata questa cosa, Burano è famosa per questi colori bellissimi che continuano a essere usati.
Today, regardless of how this thing got started, Burano is famous for these very beautiful colors that continue to be used.
Captions 26-27, In giro per l'Italia Venezia - Part 9
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So one meaning of a prescindere (as well as indipendentemente) is "regardless." Good to know, but would you have guessed that without context? Did you notice that Marika used the subjunctive following it? That's what can make it tricky.
But we can also use a prescindere without its second preposition. It can mean something like "in any case," or "no matter what." In the following example, one of the Taviani brothers is talking to the other about setting up a scene on the set of their movie. The positioning is not so important because he is planning to do a close-up.
Va bene quasi a prescindere. Se facciamo un primo piano...
It's fine, almost no matter what. If we do a close-up...
Captions 52-53, Fratelli Taviani La passione e l'utopia - Part 25
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In this case we are leaving what might follow prescindere up to the listener or reader.
Let's say we're talking about a movie that was not well-made on some level, but you liked it anyway.
Mi è piaciuto il film a prescindere (I liked it anyway).
Let's say you have a hike planned for the next day, but the forecast says "rain." Rain or shine, you are going to show up.
Ci vengo a prescindere (I'm coming no matter what).
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.
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!
Did you know there are different ways to say "that" in Italian?
*One is with quello/quella/quelli/quelle when you are pointing something out, as in "this" and "that." It can be an adjective or a pronoun.
E quindi cade una quantità d'acqua superiore a quella che può essere sopportata da un determinato luogo,
And therefore a quantity of water falls that is superior to that which a given place can absorb,
Captions 46-47, Marika spiega Il clima e i suoi eventi - Part 3
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*Then we have the conjunction che, which can be translated as "that," "which," or "who."
Ali, ti ho già detto che non voglio parlarne.
Ali, I already told you that I don't want to talk about it.
Caption 62, JAMS EP 6 - Part 5
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*But there is also ciò and we use it when we say something like, "That which is born from flesh is flesh, and that which is born from the Spirit is spirit" (from the Bible). In English, using "that" this way might be kind of outdated, and in Italian, it may not be used as much as quello, but it is used in certain contexts.
These days, we don't use the outdated "that which" very much. We often replace it with "what."
Questo oceano rappresenta la distanza tra ciò che dici e ciò che fai.
This ocean represents the distance between what you say and what you do.
Captions 35-36, Marika spiega Espressioni legate al mare e al mondo nautico - Part 4
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And in the case of the common expression tutto ciò, we just translate it as "everything."
Silicio, ferro, manganese, sono alcuni degli elementi che rendono saporito e pregiato tutto ciò che cresce su questo nero territorio.
Silicon, iron, manganese are some of the elements that make flavorful and valuable everything that grows in this black territory.
Captions 24-26, Pomodori Vulcanici Pomodori del Vesuvio - Part 3
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In fact, in an interview with Pierpaolo Pasolini, recently posted on Yabla, he uses ciò repeatedly, so it jumped out from the page and we wanted to share it with you.
Appena apre bocca, contesta qualcosa al conformismo, a, a ciò che è ufficiale, a ciò che è statale, a ciò che è nazionale, a ciò che, insomma, va bene per tutti.
As soon as he opens his mouth, he challenges something of conformism, to, to what is official, to what is governmental, to what is national, to what, in short, is fine with everyone.
Captions 3-6, La super storia Via Pasolini - Part 4
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Ciò is often used in the compound conjunction perciò (for that reason, because of that, so, thus).
Perciò quando i soggetti sono diversi, questo potrebbe portare un po' di confusione.
So when the subjects are different, this could bring about a bit of confusion.
Captions 25-26, Corso di italiano con Daniela 3) Proposizioni subordinate finali - Part 2
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If you would like us to dive deeper into using one or more of these ways of saying "that," let us know by writing to newsletter@yabla.com.
In every language, there are words that are used as "filler." In English, we have "so," "you know," and "I mean," among others, as common filler words. A very common filler-type conjunction in Italian is cioè, so let's get familiar with it.
Cioè is made up of two words, ciò and è. Ciò means "that" (see this lesson about ways to translate "that") and è means "is," in other words, the third person singular of the verb essere (to be). Sometimes, it works to simply translate cioè "word for word," with "that is."
Ah, io ero venuta a cercare Michele, il quale lavora, cioè lavorava per il Professor Lenni.
Ah, I had come to look for Michele, who works, that is, used to work for Professor Lenni.
Captions 19-20, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 2
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However, it's used in so many contexts that "that is" doesn't do the trick in all cases. Alternative translations are "in other words," "that is to say," "I mean," or even "you know," depending on the context. And there are surely others!
Cioè is often used as a one-word question. It's a way of saying, without actually forming a question, "What do you mean?"
Ho giocato da solo. -Cioè?
I went solo. -Meaning?
Captions 15-16, La Ladra EP. 12 - Come ai vecchi tempi - Part 4
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L'italiano, praticamente, è una lingua soltanto letteraria per molti secoli, cioè fino a, praticamente, a dieci o vent'anni fa.
Italian, practically, has been solely a literary language for many centuries, that is to say, until, practically, until ten or twenty years ago.
Captions 1-2, La super storia Via Pasolini - Part 3
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E non devono essere arance normali, cioè, devono essere arance biologiche, non trattate chimicamente.
And they mustn't be normal oranges, in other words, they have to be organic oranges, not treated chemically.
Captions 15-16, Adriano L'arancello di Marina
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E infatti m'han' detto: "vogliamo un bianco e nero molto contrastato", sia per dare forza, insomma, a quello che, che, che accade, sia per distinguere i, questi due momenti che si vivono nel film, cioè la, tutta la preparazione allo spettacolo e poi lo spettacolo in sé.
And in fact, they told me, "We want a very contrasted black and white," both to give strength, basically, to what, what, what is happening, and to distinguish the, these two moments that are experienced in the movie, in other words the, all the preparations for the show and then the show itself.
Captions 3-6, Fratelli Taviani La passione e l'utopia - Part 17
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Come è possibile che questi stanno girando, [attore] queste due persone non litigano, non litigano mai. Cioè, io di solito ho delle idee che non condivido,
How is it possible that these guys are filming, [actor] these two people don't argue, they never argue. I mean, I usually have ideas that I don't share,
Captions 38-40, Fratelli Taviani La passione e l'utopia - Part 24
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Cioè is definitely a word to become familiar with. Listen to people use it (in real-life conversations or Yabla videos) and soon you will be including it in your conversation at just the right moment.
Of course, you can search this word yourself, to check out other examples of cioè. Which English translation to use is not set in stone and you can disagree with (and challenge) our translations. But the important thing is to get a feel for cioè, for when and how it is used.
You might already know the adjective raro and the adverb raramente. These are true cognates of "rare" and "rarely" in English.
But there is another way to say this. Let's look at a couple of passages from a recent segment of Provaci ancora prof!
Semmai, ogni tanto prendere qualche sonnifero per dormire, ma insomma, raramente.
If anything, every now and then he takes some sleeping pills to sleep, but well, rarely.
Captions 35-36, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 5
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Camilla is talking to the doctor upstairs about sleeping pills. She pretends it's about Renzo.
Se proprio è una nottataccia due, ma, insomma, di rado, come Le ho detto.
If it's really a bad night, two, but, well, rarely, as I told you.
Captions 42-43, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 5
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He takes up her wording to comment:
Gli impedisca di prenderli, signora, anche di rado.
Stop him from taking them ma'am, even rarely.
Captions 44-45, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 5
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Interestingly, the adjective rado is used to mean "sparse," especially when talking about physical distance, such as, for example, between plants in a garden. In the present context, we are talking about distancing in time.
Here's another example of di rado. Yabla offers a documentary, produced by RAI about the important Italian post-war chef, Gualtiero Marchesi, who died in 2017. He was a pioneer of modern Italian cuisine. The documentary, which appeared in episodes on Italian TV, opens with what must be a passage from his own writings, narrated by someone who spee
Qui sono cresciuto, tra queste terre e queste acque. Tornando, ahimè sempre più di rado, mi sembra di riconoscere scorci e luoghi come se poco o nulla fosse cambiato.
I grew up here, in the midst of these lands and these waters. Coming back more and more infrequently, alas, I think I recognize views and places, as if little or nothing had changed.
Captions 12-15, L'arte della cucina Terre d'Acqua - Part 1
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And the adjective rado calls to mind the verb radere (to shave). It's also the first-person singular of this irregular verb.
We've talked about words that change when an "S" prefix is added, but let's take a closer look at this particular way of altering words. The resulting words are called parole alterate in Italian because the word also exists in its unaltered state, or at least it once did.
While the addition of an S at the beginning of the word often negates it, or gives it an opposite meaning, it's not always the case. Sometimes it adds strength or some other quality, and sometimes it doesn't really change anything but is just a variant. We'll try to cover the common ways the S prefix changes words in this and subsequent lessons, but let's go back to the prefix itself: S.
You might be wondering where this S prefix comes from? An early source is "ex-" in Latin. Another is the Italian prefix dis-.
Sometimes dis- and s- are both used interchangeably. For instance, some people use the verb disfare and some people say sfare. They both mean "to undo." Fare means "to make" or "to do." This is a case where the S confers a contrasting or negative meaning to the word.
Era quella che faceva la coperta di giorno e la disfaceva la notte.
She [Penelope] was the one who made the cover during the day and took it apart during the night.
Captions 49-50, Sposami EP 4 - Part 22
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Another word like this is dispiacere. Some people say mi dispiace, but some say mi spiace. See the long list of examples of spiace here. And here is the list of instances of dispiace in Yabla videos. They mean the same thing. And they are both alterations of the verb piacere (to please).
Mi spiace, sono in ritardo. -Va bene...
I'm sorry, I am late. -All right...
Caption 59, Provaci ancora prof! S2EP2 Una mina vagante - Part 22
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Ti dispiace se parliamo dopo? -No, no, no.
Do you mind if we talk later? -No, no, no.
Caption 34, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 4
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The verb dispiacere has different nuances of meanings, which we have discussed in other lessons: How to say you're sorry in Italian and To mind or not to mind with dispiacere.
As a negation or the opposite of the root word, there are countless examples. Here is just one:
Certo che Luca è un ragazzo fortunato ad avere un'amica come te!
Luca sure is a lucky guy to have a friend like you!
Caption 23, Il Commissario Manara S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 8
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Poverino, proprio sfortunato.
Poor thing, really unlucky.
Caption 11, La Ladra EP. 4 - Una magica bionda - Part 8
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The S prefix is used with verbs, adjectives, and nouns. But let's keep in mind that lots of words start with S naturally, at their root.
In the next lesson, we will trace a verb with an S prefix back to its origins to see how it evolved.
On Yabla there is an animated series featuring two maialini (piglets) who are brothers. In each short episode, the younger one, Piggeldy, always has a new question for his older brother, Federico.
Although Yabla has recorded new Italian narration, the original version of this animation was in German, and this is evident in a recent episode in particular. The primary hint is that one of the crops in the fields the brothers walk past or through is segale (rye). Italians, except in the northern parts of Italy where German is spoken, don't commonly eat a lot of rye bread, although it does exist and has become more popular in recent years. In countries such as Germany, Poland, Russia, and Austria, it's much more common, and rye is also cultivated there. But more importantly, the topic of the episode is erbaccia, a good word to know.
In this episode, Piggeldy wants to know what erbaccia is.
"Federico, che cos'è l'erbaccia?"
"Federico, what is a weed?"
Caption 3, Piggeldy e Federico L'erbaccia
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Let's look at this word. We can detect the noun erba, which means "grass," but not only. As a collective noun erba does mean "grass," but as a countable noun, it means herb. We think of herbs and spices, but in Italian, erbe (in the plural, usually) refers to wild greens, either edible or medicinal.
Some of us have already learned that the suffix -accio or -accia is pejorative, indicating a lower quality of something. So we could easily equate erbaccia with "crabgrass." Although crabgrass does have a botanical name and is technically a specific kind of grass, we do use "crabgrass" generically to describe a kind of creeping, invasive grass that's hard to get rid of. We could also call it "a weed" or "weeds," although weeds are not necessarily a kind of grass.
E se no ci sarebbe stata tutta erbaccia, perché prima passava un pecoraro [pecoraio], Belardo se [si] chiamava, no? Nel settanta, co e passava co ste [queste] pecore, mangiava... era tutto pulito era na [una] bellezza.
And otherwise there would have been weeds all over, because before now a shepherd would pass by, Belardo was his name, right? In [nineteen] seventy, with, and he'd passed by with these sheep, they would eat... it was all tidy, it was beautiful.
Captions 53-56, Anna e Marika Trattoria Al Biondo Tevere - Part 3
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The -accio or -accia ending implies that the plant with this suffix is unwanted. Of course, one person's weed is another person's wildflower, or spontaneous plant.
The plant that Piggeldy sees, the cornflower, il fiordaliso in Italian, is a beautiful blue wildflower, considered by farmers to be a weed when we're talking about crops. It used to be a common sight in fields of wheat and corn. Its botanical name is Centaurea cyanus L.
In the real world, cornflowers got their name because they used to be a common weed in cultivated fields [of corn or wheat]. They're native to Europe, but while they can now be found distributed quite widely across the world, they're actually endangered in their native habitat by the mass use of weedkillers on European farms. In some parts of Austria, the fiordaliso is still visible as a beautiful contrast to the golden wheat.
As a little aside, if we then look at a recent episode of the series JAMS, there is a scene where a student is being questioned about the story of Achilles. It's interesting to note that the plant that healed his heel from the poisoned arrow is the cornflower!
So-called "weeds" are an important part of Italian rural culture. There are plenty of edible greens for the taking, and Italians are famous for making the most of them. Old folks remember well the times (such as during World War II) in which any cultivated green vegetable was hard to find, so foraging was the way to go. Even now, in Italy, if you see an abandoned field or a roadside, chances are you will see someone taking advantage of the free food there. There is always something edible coming up.
Poi, conoscevo le erbe selvatiche no, e andavo per queste fiumare bellissime dove c'erano piantagioni di erbe spontanee, guarda, una cosa meravigliosa.
Besides, I knew about wild greens, right? And I would go to these beautiful streams, where there were patches of wild herbs, look, a marvelous thing.
Captions 40-42, In giro per l'Italia Pentidattilo - Part 2
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So the upshot is that erba does mean "grass," but erbaccia indicates weeds and erbe can mean "herbs" (for seasoning, often specified as erbe aromatiche — aromatic herbs) or "wild greens" (for eating). Buon appetito!
A question from a student got us thinking about words we use for starting things in Italian. So we begin the lesson discussing the specific question about the difference between cominciare and incominciare. But then we go on to explore other words having to do with starting.
Student question: What's the difference between cominciare and incominciare? If we talk about meaning, both mean the same thing: to begin, to start. But then why have both?
One reason is simply regional, meaning someone grows up using one more than the other. And this is true with a lot of words. It seems that incominciare is used more in the south of Italy, while cominciare is more of a northern Italian usage.
Marika is from the south of Italy, and she uses incominciare in this example.
Ci aiuteremo con... ci aiuteremo con un mestolo per incominciare a mischiare.
We'll have the help of a wooden spoon to start mixing.
Caption 22, Marika spiega L'insalata di pasta - Part 2
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But here, in the same kind of context, she uses cominciare:
Cominciamo. In un recipiente di vetro possiamo cominciare a preparare l'impasto versando la farina,
Let's get started. In a glass container, we can start preparing the dough, by pouring the flour
Captions 46-47, L'Italia a tavola Panzerotti Pugliesi - Part 1
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Federico Fellini was born in Rimini, but moved to Rome in 1938. In this clip from an interview, he uses both.
Doveva cominciare così il suo viaggio, con un atterraggio di fortuna in una piazza di una città sconosciuta. Ma il viaggio finì subito come vedete, per la verità non incominciò mai.
That's how his journey was supposed to begin, with an emergency landing in the square of an unknown city. But his trip ended abruptly as you see, and in truth it never began.
Captions 34-37, Fellini Racconta Un Autoritratto Ritrovato - Part 15
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And in fact, the other reason someone might use incominciare is that it might be more forceful and expressive in a given situation or context. So it becomes a stylistic choice.
We might also note that doveva ends in a, so it sounded better to have the next word begin with a consonant: cominciare. But after non, it sounds good to use a word beginning with a vowel: incominciare. If we look at Marika's examples, the same thing is true. She probably didn't make a conscious choice — it just sounded right.
In Yabla videos, by doing a search, we can see that cominciare is used more often than incominciare. Both verbs can be used with or without a direct object (transitive or intransitive). This tendency is reminiscent of the prepositions tra and fra which mean the same thing (between). But one is chosen over the other for how it sounds with the other words around it.
And what other words can we use to talk about starting?
Iniziare is one of the most common ways to begin.
S', sta per iniziare, sta per iniziare. -Ah, ecco. Inizia. -Iniziamo. -Posticino.
It's, it's about to begin, it's about to begin. -Ah there. It's starting. -Let's begin. -A little spot.
Captions 63-65, Non è mai troppo tardi EP 2 - Part 17
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Coupled with this, we have avere inizio (to have a beginning, to begin). Because l'inizio is "the beginning."
[Il restauro vero e proprio ha avuto inizio nel gennaio duemilaquindici e si è concluso ad aprile del duemiladiciotto.]
[The actual conservation began in January two thousand and fifteen and ended in April two thousand and eighteen.]
Caption 65, La pittura più bella del mondo La Resurrezione di Piero della Francesca - Part 15
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We can also say dare inizio (literally, "to give the beginning").
E diamo inizio a questa travolgente serata ranocchiesca.
And let's get started with this rip-roaring froggy evening.
Caption 64, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 3 S3EP4 Lo stagno del ranocchio - Part 14
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The most common verbs are iniziare and cominciare, but there are others. These other verbs have multiple meanings. Partire means "to leave," as in "to depart," but it also means "to start" or "to get going."
Facciamo partire il nostro mixer a massima velocità.
Let's start our mixer at maximum speed.
Caption 12, Italia Squisita Colomba - Part 3
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Partiamo con gli assaggi dei vostri arancini.
We'll begin with tasting your rice balls.
Caption 2, JAMS S1 EP 4 - Part 3
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Another slightly less common verb about starting is avviare. It is often equivalent to "launching," "starting a motor," or "powering up."
Senta, Tataranni, io tengo alla giustizia quanto Lei e più di avviare un'inchiesta, che cosa avrei dovuto fare?
Listen Tataranni, I care about justice as much as you do, and other than starting the investigation, what should I have done?
Captions 47-48, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP 4 Maltempo - Part 7
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When avviare is used as a reflexive verb (avviarsi), it means "to leave," "to get going," usually implying that there is a destination. If I want to get a head start, I might say, mi avvio (I'll get going," or "I'll start out."
Cioni, avviati con questa roba a Cascina, poi ritorni e carichiamo tutto il resto.
Cioni, get going with this stuff to Cascina, then come back and we'll load all the rest.
Captions 21-22, Fino a qui tutto bene Film - Part 17
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One last way to get things started is dare il via.
Perché gli spettatori possano vedere le macchine e l'ora. -Ventiduesima Mille Miglia dalle cilindrate minime, dai motori Diesel si arriverà in dieci ore e mezzo a dare il via a più di cinquecentotrenta macchine per la furibonda cavalcata di oltre millecinquecento chilometri... -Duemila,
So that the spectators can see the cars and the time. -Twenty-second "Mille Miglia" from low cylinder engines to diesel motors, they will, in ten and a half hours, give the start to more than five hundred and thirty cars for the fierce ride of over fifteen hundred kilometers... -Two thousand,
Captions 49-53, La Mille Miglia del passato per vivere quella di oggi - Part 1
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Let's talk about some adverbs of time and how Italians use them. Some adverbs of time have multiple meanings and need context to be understood and used precisely.
We can detect the noun notte (night) as part of the time adverb stanotte. The beginning, on the other hand, is sta, a short form of questa (this).
Non ti dispiace se rimango qui stanotte, vero?
You don't mind if I stay here tonight, do you?
Caption 4, Il Commissario Manara S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 9
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But sometimes, the same adverb stanotte refers to "last night."
E mio marito non è rientrato stanotte e non ha nemmeno avvertito...
And my husband didn't come home last night and he didn't even let me know...
Caption 16, Il Commissario Manara S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena - Part 2
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We can use the same form to talk about the evening: stasera. Normally, we'd say that stasera means "this evening" but in English, we often use "tonight" when referring to the dinner hour, so sometimes "tonight" is the best translation.
La lista della spesa per la cena di stasera.
The shopping list for tonight's dinner.
Caption 2, Anna e Marika La mozzarella di bufala - La produzione e i tagli - Part 1
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While we say things like "I'm going out tonight," Italians will choose stasera over stanotte, unless we are talking about something happening in the middle of the night. But let's remember that sera generally means "evening."
Ma', stasera esco. -Dove vai?
Mom, tonight I'm going out. -Where are you going?
Caption 53, Acqua in bocca Un amico per Pippo - Ep 1
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Also, let's take the opportunity to remind ourselves that buonasera is a greeting upon arrival, whereas buonanotte is when you're leaving (and perhaps headed for bed).
You may already be familiar with the word for "yesterday." It's ieri. Just in case stanotte might not be clear enough, we have the choice of using ieri notte to mean "last night." If you are just getting up in the morning, you'll probably use stanotte to talk about the night before, but if it is later in the day, ieri notte makes sense.
Ieri notte tre ladri hanno pensato bene di svaligiare un atelier di abiti da sposa.
Last night, three thieves had the bright idea of cleaning out a wedding gown studio.
Caption 40, La Ladra EP. 2 - Viva le spose - Part 13
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If we say ieri sera, we can translate it with either "last night" or "yesterday evening," depending on how we think of it. But sera is generally used until late, let's say, until bedtime, whenever that is.
E voi due ieri sera eravate in casa? Sì, stavamo guardando la televisione.
And you two last night were at home? Yes, we were watching television.
Captions 47-48, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 2
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We have said that ieri means "yesterday," but what about the day before yesterday?
One way to say this is l'altro ieri (the other yesterday).
Quando l'hai vista l'ultima volta? -L'altro ieri.
When did you last see her? -The day before yesterday.
Captions 5-6, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 5
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Some people invert the words and say ieri l'altro.
Of course, we can also say due giorni fa (2 days ago).
E quando l'hai vista l'ultima volta? -Due giorni fa.
And when did you see her last? -Two days ago.
Captions 50-51, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 4
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If we don't need to be precise, we can say "the other day."
No, scusa l'altro giorno non t'ho potuto richiamare, ma dovevi dirmi qualcosa di lavoro?
No, sorry, the other day I couldn't call you back, but did you have something about work to tell me?
Captions 29-30, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP1 L'estate del dito - Part 16
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When we're referring to the past with these adverbs of time, we'll want to use the passato prossimo (which works like the present perfect) tense. The exception is when we use the verb essere (to be). In this case, we might also use the imperfetto.
Note that we don't say il giorno prima di ieri to correspond to "the day before yesterday!" But if that's all you can think of, people will understand. They'll probably say, "Oh, sì, l'altro ieri."
Usually, we understand the adjective capace to mean "capable."
Guarda che se non sei capace a dirgli di no, ti fai male!
Look, if you're not capable of telling him no, you'll hurt yourself!
Caption 20, Il Commissario Manara S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso - Part 1
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E... ma sai fare un po' di pasta fresca tu? Sei capace?
And... but do you know how to make a little fresh pasta? Are you capable?
Caption 11, Anna e Marika La pasta fresca
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But there is another, more colloquial way to use capace for predicting something, where it means something more akin to "possible." It's colloquial and used in central and southern Italy. Not everyone uses it with the subjunctive, but theoretically, the subjunctive should be used, since it has to do with uncertainty and is followed by che.
From the horse's mouth: Tuscans, when asked, say you don't need the subjunctive, and you don't even need the verb (è). They say, Capace che piove, (it might very well rain) or even Capace piove, without the che!
È capace che Iside l'ammazza [sic: l'ammazzi].
It could be that Iside kills her.
Caption 2, Sposami EP 6 - Part 20
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Certainly, if you hang out in Tuscany, you will hear this usage of the word capace.
Sometimes, while translating a video for Yabla, a word crops up that leaves us perplexed. It doesn't appear to be in a dictionary, and even if it is, it doesn't make enough sense to be able to translate it correctly. So we start researching it on our preferred search engine. We might find the answer and that's that, but sometimes we go down some interesting rabbit holes. So this week, we'd like to share what we learned, because it relates to some good-to-know euphemisms people use when talking about money.
We're talking about the documentary series called L'Italia che piace (the Italy people like), which has recently focused on Novara, a city in northern Italy, not far from Milan. You will hear about its history in the video, but one thing gets mentioned only briefly, so we set out to learn more.
Viene costruita dalla cittadinanza, con i soldi che vengono raccolti proprio con la tassa del sesino, la tassa sull'acquisto della carne.
It's built by the citizenry, with the money that is collected, actually, by way of the "sesino" tax, the tax on buying meat.
Captions 5-8, L'Italia che piace Territori - Part 9
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The documentary mentions the building of the dome on top of the basilica in the middle of the city. It ended up being paid for in a particular way. Citizens contributed voluntarily to the project, but there was also a special tax called l’arbitrio del sesino or l'imposta del sesino. We wondered, "What's a sesino?"
A little research revealed that un sesino is a particular coin. Why is it called sesino? We might be able to guess it has something to do with the number 6 — sei. And we would be right! With a little more searching, we found, on a numismatic website:
The name of the coin un sesino indicates that the coin is equal to 6 denari.
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Along with the sesino, there were: la trillina (3 denari) and il quattrino (4 denari). These coins were used from the 14th to the 18th century in various cities.
It all starts to make sense, because whoever has lived in Italy has heard people use quattrino or quattrini to mean "money."
Se proprio vogliamo chiamarla debolezza... era un poco tirato nei quattrini, ecco.
If we really want to call it a weakness... he was a bit tight-fisted with money, that's it.
Captions 73-74, Il Commissario Manara S1EP11 - Beato tra le donne - Part 3
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In fact, in Renaissance times, un quattrino was a quarter of a fiorino in Florence. We often translate it as "a farthing." But unless you studied Italian history, you might not make that connection.
Still today, il denaro is another word for "money." Sometimes it's called il danaro. And in playing cards, denari is a suit in a Neapolitan deck of cards.
We learn in the video that this particular sesino tax was on meat. On a website about Novara, we further learn that it was un'imposta per ogni libbra di carne non bovina acquistata in città (a tax on each pound of non-bovine meat purchased in the city).
So, in short, it would seem that people had to pay one sesino for every pound of meat that wasn't beef. This was to pay for the dome of the basilica. We do wonder why the tax was just meat that wasn't beef. That will remain for another day of research.
Note there are two spellings for libra: with one b or two. Did you ever wonder why the abbreviation for pound is "lb"? The English word "pound" comes from pondo meaning "body." A unit of measure in Roman times was "libra pondo," which meant "a pound by weight." The abbreviation "lb" is derived from the libra part of the expression.
There you have it. A little extra information, which, si spera (hopefully), will whet your appetite to watch the video!
When we are thinking in English, it's hard sometimes to find the right word in Italian because we likely use phrasal verbs and expressions in English, and turning those into the right word in Italian often results in being at a loss for words. That's why it's so important to listen and repeat, and when possible, have conversations with people in Italian, even if your Italian doesn't feel "good enough." The sooner you can start thinking in Italian, even simple Italian, the sooner you will come up with the right words in a given situation.
When people talk about their problems, especially problems such as depression, an illness, or a relationship that has ended, there are certain words they use all the time, but which we might not come up with. Let's have a look.
Superare
The verb superare is a very common verb for getting over something, getting through something, getting past something.
Quando si perde qualcuno, c'è il pericolo di chiudersi in se stessi e di non superare la situazione con il supporto degli altri.
When one loses someone, there's the danger of closing oneself in and not getting over the situation with the support of others.
Captions 40-42, Marika spiega Il verbo chiudere
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This same verb is used when passing a test — superare un esame — or passing another car — superare una macchina — on the road.
Uscire
Another way people talk about getting over something, is with uscire (to come out of it). Here is a guy with cancer talking to his wife.
Che sto reagendo bene. -Che stai reagendo bene? -Sì. Dici che ce la faccio a uscire da questa situazione?
That I am reacting well. -That you are reacting well? -Yes. Do you think I will manage to get/come out of this situation?
Captions 25-26, La linea verticale EP3 - Part 5
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Another way of saying that in English would be "Do you think I will manage to survive this situation, to overcome this situation, to get past this situation?" Let's also remember that uscire means "to exit," just as l'uscita means "the exit."
Reagire
If we go back to the previous example, we see Luigi and his wife use the verb reagire. It basically means "to react." This is a very common verb for when you have to deal with something, an illness, a loss, a break-up, a disappointment. In this case, they might be talking about the fact that the therapy is working. We can translate it with "to react," but reagire is also used for not being apathetic, for example.
In the example below, the woman speaking to Michele believes he had been assaulted in prison before being sentenced to living in the commune called Il Nido (the nest). She assumes he has been feeling traumatized.
Michele, ma è una cosa bellissima che tu voglia reagire.
Michele, but it's such a wonderful thing that you want to react [to spring back].
Caption 3, Liberi tutti EP3 Quanto è libero un fringuello? - Part 1
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Reagire, in this sense, is the opposite of letting oneself go, getting depressed, or closing oneself off.
You might say to a friend who is having trouble overcoming something:
Devi reagire (you have to do something) (you have to snap out of it), (you have to get out of your funk)!
These are just a few words we can use when talking about getting well, or getting over something. Have you found words you have heard but don't quite understand? Let us know at newsletter@yabla.com or write a comment on the videos page.
The Italian expression featured in this mini-lesson is something people say when two people get together as a couple, when someone finds a new job, or when a business starts up... things like that. They say:
Se son rose, fioriranno (if they are roses, they'll bloom).
It's a poetic way of saying "Time will tell," or, "The proof of the pudding is in the eating."
Se son rose fioriranno presto.
If they're roses, they'll bloom soon.
Caption 34, La Ladra EP. 3 - L'oro dello squalo - Part 8
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Let's remember that while "rose" is singular in English, rose, in Italian, is the plural of rosa.
Quando questa rosa sarà appassita, io sparirò.
When this rose wilts, I will disappear.
Captions 36-37, La Ladra EP. 11 - Un esame importante - Part 11
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Let's note that rosa is also a color, corresponding to "pink." It's one of those colors that doesn't change in number and gender when used as an adjective, as opposed to nero (black), bianco (white), grigio (grey), and verde (green), among others, which do have to agree with the noun they modify. When rosa the color is used as a noun, it's a masculine noun because the noun colore (color) is masculine. Il colore, un colore.
I pantaloni rosa, il foulard beige, le scarpe blu... sempre lo stesso. OK?
The pink pants, the beige scarf, the blue shoes... always the same, OK?
Captions 33-34, Corso di italiano con Daniela I colori - Part 1
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If this is new to you, check out Daniela's lessons about colors.
Rosa is also a name.
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