grazie

Plural of grazia (“grace”), from Latin grātia, as used in the phrase grātiās agō (“to thank; to express thanks”). Compare Spanish gracias.

Grazie di essere venuti!


play

used to announce the start a game of tennis


ah

(sarcastic) ah! (usually ironic or sarcastic)


evviva

Greek: εβίβα (evíva)

Evviva la regina!


ciao

→ Alemannic German: tschau, tschavò

→ Bavarian: ciao

→ Bulgarian: ча́о (čáo)

→ Czech: čau

→ Dutch: tjo

→ Esperanto: ĉaŭ

→ Estonian: tšau, tsau, tšauki, tsauki

→ Finnish: tsau, tsaukki

→ French: ciao, tchao

→ German: tschau, ciao

→ Hungarian: csaó, csá

→ Interlingua: ciao

→ Japanese: チャオ (chao)

→ Latvian: čau

→ Macedonian: чао (čao)

→ Maltese: ċaw

→ Norwegian Bokmål: ciao

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: ciao

→ Polish: ciao

→ Portuguese: tchau

→ Russian: ча́о (čáo)

→ Serbo-Croatian:

Cyrillic script: ћао

Latin script: ćao

→ Slovak: čau

→ Slovene: čáo

→ Spanish: chao, chau

→ Turkish: çav

→ Ukrainian: ча́о (čáo)

Borrowed from Venetian s-ciao, sciavo (“slave”) (in particular the expression s-ciao vostro (literally “(I am) your slave”), in essence meaning "I am at your service", or "your humble servant"), from Medieval Latin sclavus (“slave”) (whence also standard Italian schiavo); in the Venetian language originally pronounced /stʃaʊ/. Development and use is similar to the Southern German and Central European greeting of servus.

È questo il fiore del partigiano,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
È questo il fiore del partigiano,

Early 1940s, written by an unknown Italian partisan, Bella Ciao (Goodbye, beautiful!)

This is the flower of the partisan,
Oh beautiful, goodbye! Beautiful, goodbye! Beautiful, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!
This is the flower of the partisan,
Who died for freedom!


amen

Near-synonyms: pace, va beh, scialla

L'esame è andato male, amen, fattene una ragione.

The exam went bad, so be it, come to terms with it.


bene

Bene! Sono proprio felice che hai avuto delle buone notizie!

Good! I’m so glad you got some good news!


occhio

From Vulgar Latin oclus, syncopated from Latin oculus, from Proto-Italic *okelos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃okʷ-, *h₃ekʷ- (“eye; to see”). Doublet of oculo, a borrowing.


bravo

head

bravo m (feminine brava, masculine plural bravi, feminine plural brave)

brava (feminine)
bravi (masculine plural)
brave (feminine plural)

→ English: bravo

→ French: bravo

→ Romanian: bravo

→ Turkish: bravo

Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico

Uncertain. Probably from Vulgar Latin *bravus, from a fusion of Latin prāvus and barbarus. Less likely from Provençal brau (“show-off”), from Gaulish *bragos (compare Middle Irish breagha (modern breá) 'fine', Breton braga 'to strut'). Or perhaps borrowed from a descendant of Proto-Germanic *hrawaz (“raw, uncooked”). Or possibly from a root *bravus, from bravium. Borrowed into French and English as brave.
Pierre Carpentier, in an 18th-century edition of du Cange's 17th-century dictionary of medieval and modern Latin, argued Latin branus originated in a misreading of Italian and Spanish bravo. However, George Nicholson argues the opposite in a 1950 Festschrift article, namely bravo being a misreading of Latin branus, which would have the origin du Cange had originally argued for, from Old French brahaigne (“barren”) (see barren). Compare English gravy, possibly a misreading of French grané (“stew”).


pronto

(telephony) hello (when answering the phone)


vaffanculo

→ English: va fangool

Contraction of va' a fa' 'n culo, where fa' and 'n are contractions of fare and in, respectively. Literally, “go do [it] in [the] ass”.
Compare French va te faire enculer.

shove it up your ass
shove it up your ass

(vulgar, slang) fuck you, fuck off, go fuck yourself; get lost, up yours; shove it up your ass.


ou

Ou, mi stai ascoltando?

(usually impolite) used to get someone's attention; oi, hey


eureka

Borrowed from Ancient Greek εὕρηκᾰ (heúrēka).


ma

Ma che carino!

(informal, emphatic) indicates emotion or emphasis

Ma...tu sei di Roma?

(informal) used to introduce a new topic or a question


coraggio

Borrowed from Old Occitan coratge, Old French corage.


bah

onomatopoeic

Exclamatory

indicates astonishment, resignation and despise; usually used after noticing or hearing something you don't like or you don't know what to think about, to avoid commenting or giving an answer to a question


notte

From Latin noctem, from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts.


dai

an expression of encouragement; come on!


zitto

Onomatopoeic. Compare Sicilian zittu and zittìrisi.


prego

(after being thanked) you're welcome, don't mention it etc.

(in response to a request) yes, of course

(when walking or opening doors) after you, please, you first


dovere

Grazie! — Dovere.

Dismisses gratitude by clarifying one acted for one's duty rather than for kindness.


basta

Ora basta! Adesso basta!

basta così?


addio

→ Greek: αντίο (antío)

→ Romanian: adio

→ Serbo-Croatian: adio, адио

→ Slovene: adȋjo

From a Dio (“to God”), from Medieval Latin ad Deum (“to God”). Compare Aragonese, Asturian, Extremaduran, and Spanish adiós; Catalan adeu; Dutch ajuus; English, French, and Occitan adieu; German tschüss; Greek αντίο (antío); Galician and Portuguese adeus; Maltese addiju; Mirandese adius; Romanian adio; Serbo-Croatian ади̏о/adȉo; Slovene adȋjo.

cog

Addio per sempre!


cazzo

→ Esperanto: kaco

→ French: catze

Of uncertain origin. One possibility is from a contraction of Latin capitium (“small head”) (cf. also capezzo, capezza), or from Byzantine Greek ακάτιον (akátion, “main mast”). See also caspita.

cacacazzo

a person who is anal about something, overtly pedant

cazzaro

person who says a lot of insensate words

Vada a bordo, cazzo!

fuck!, shit! (expressing frustration, surprise, or anger)

Che cazzo vuoi?

Cazzo guardi?

used as an intensifier, often replacing cosa or che, similar to "what the fuck".

Buongiorno un cazzo!


va'

an expression of surprise, anger or resignation


piacere

From Latin placēre. Compare Romanian plăcea, French plaire, Occitan plaser.

Piacere, Alberto


grande

From Latin grandem, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ghrewə- (“to fell, put down, fall in”).


lasso

From Latin lassus (“weary, tired”). For the interjection, compare French hélas, English alas.

Quando rispuosi, cominciai: “Oh lasso, / quanti dolci pensier, quanto disio / menò costoro al doloroso passo!”.

1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto V”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 112–114; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2ⁿᵈ revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

When I answered, I began: "Alas! How many sweet thoughts, how much desire, conducted them unto the painful way!"


buonasera

Compare French bonsoir, Romanian bună seara.


buonanotte

Univerbation of buona (“good”) + notte (“night, nighttime”).


busta

Borrowed from Old French boiste, whence French boîte (“box”). From Medieval Latin buxida, inflected form derived from Latin buxētum (“boxwood plantation”), from Latin buxus (“boxwood”).

(Rome, colloquial, soccer) said by someone after he's nutmegged someone (made the ball pass between their legs)


silenzio

silence!; shut up!; stop talking!; hush!


lolz

2004:"lolz" — http://groups-beta.google.com/group/it.test/msg/f3359153a179a7dd

2005:"lolz." — http://groups-beta.google.com/group/it.test/msg/0e551ad79b8c7fde

2005:"lolz" — http://groups-beta.google.com/group/it.test/msg/348baa1bbff8be8e

(Internet slang) used to express laughter


aiuto

Aiuto! Si va a picco! Aiuto! Aiuto!


forza

From Late Latin fortia, a noun derived from the neuter plural of Latin fortis (“strong”).


abbasso

Abbasso il re!


salute

From Latin salūtem, from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole, completed”).


to'

Clipping of togli (“take!”), imperative of togliere.


boh

[˧˦(ⁿ)bɤ̃(ʊ̯̃)(ʔːh̩)]

Puoi pagare il mio biglietto? / Boh, devo vedere se ho i soldi.

Can you pay for my ticket? / I dunno, I'll need to see if I have money.

used to express doubt or indecision; dunno


ecco

(obsolete) used to express encouragement


porca puttana

Union of porca (“damn”, literally “pig”) and puttana (“whore”).

Porca puttana, in Svizzera hanno 900.000 pompe di calore, che non sono quello che pensi, perché ormai siamo ammorbati di qualsiasi cosa: sono sonde che vanno giù e tirano su il calore e lo sfruttano per scaldarti la casa!

2009, 00:08:28 from the start, in Movimento 5 Stelle: Il Programma, Beppe Grillo (actor):


uff

an expression of boredom, impatience or annoyance


diamine

an expression of wonder, impatience or irritation


deh

Probably from Latin dee, vocative form of deus (“god, deity”).

Deh, or mi dì: quanto tesoro volle
 Nostro Segnore in prima da San Pietro
 ch'ei ponesse le chiavi in sua balia?

1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto X, page 321 vv. 91-93:

I pray thee tell me now how great a treasure
 Our Lord demanded of Saint Peter first,
 before he put the keys into his keeping?

used to introduce a prayer or request or a wishful statement; ah!, oh!


neh

È proprio un piatto gustoso, neh?

Fa' il bravo, neh!

(dialectal, chiefly Piedmont, Lombardy, Switzerland) isn't it?; don't you?; wouldn't she?, ...


osteria

From oste + -eria, from Old French oste (“innkeeper, host”).

(euphemistic) expletive, often used to replace the mildly blasphemous expletive ostia (“Host, Communion wafer”); blimey!


capperi

a mild expression of surprise (such as gosh!)


novità

From earlier novitade, novitate, from Latin novitātem (“newness, novelty”).


allegria

Allegria uomini! È un giorno di festa!

Cheer up people! This is a day of celebration!

an encouragement to be cheerful. cheer up!


minchia

Borrowed from Sicilian minchia (“dick, cock”).


cincin

From Chinese Pidgin English chin-chin (an expression of gratitude, salutation or congratulations), a reduplication of Shanghainese 請／请 (⁵chin, “please”), misinterpreted as onomatopoeic of two glasses clinking. Compare Portuguese tchim-tchim, tim-tim, Spanish chinchín, French tchin-tchin.


pista

→ French: piste (see there for further descendants)

Variant of pesta (“footprint”), technical senses influenced by French piste.


cristo

From Latin Christus, from Ancient Greek Χριστός (Khristós), proper noun use of χριστός (khristós, “the anointed one”), a calque of Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (māšīaḥ, “anointed”) (see also messia).

(informal, mildly vulgar) express anger, astonishment, frustration etc.


cucù

Borrowed from Old French cucu, imitative of the call.

onomatopoeic

imitative


dannazione

Borrowed from Latin damnātiōnem. Equivalent of dannare + -zione.


Gesù

Borrowed from Latin Iēsus, from Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs), from Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshúa).


insomma

Univerbation of in (“in”) + somma (“sum; essence”), a calque of Latin in summā.

univerbation

come vanno le cose? insomma


guai

Guai acquelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali. beati quelli ke trovarane le tue santissime voluntati

c. 1226, Francis of Assisi, Cantico delle creature [Canticle of the Creatures], Biblioteca del Sacro Convento di San Francesco, page 2:

Woe to those who die in mortal sin. Blessed be those who find themselves in your most holy will

[…] Guai a voi, anime prave!
Non isperate mai veder lo cielo:
i' vegno per menarvi a l'altra riva
ne le tenebre etterne, in caldo e 'n gelo.

1321, Dante Alighieri, “Canto Ⅲ [Canto 3]”, in La divina commedia: Inferno [The Divine Comedy: Hell], 12th edition (paperback), Le Monnier, published 1994, page 42, lines 84–87:

Woe to you, o depraved souls! Do not hope to ever see heaven: I come to lead you to the other bank, to the eternal darkness, in heat and in frost.


arrivederci

From a (“to”) + rivederci (“to see each other again”), from rivedersi (“see each other again, meet again”). Cognate with French au revoir. See Romanian la revedere.

compound

goodbye, so long, see you soon, see you (non-definitive farewell)


attenzione

watch out!; look out!; take care!; mind!; careful!


attento

watch out!; look out!; take care!; mind!; careful!; be careful


esatto

correct!; that's it!; just so!; spot on!


pazienza

Learned borrowing from Latin patientia, derived from patiēns, present active participle of patior (“to suffer”).


scusa

(informal) sorry! (second-person singular)


sveglia

Deverbal from svegliare (“to wake up”) + -a.


mannaggia

Borrowed from Neapolitan mannaggia (“damn!”, literally “may he/she/it have bad things from it!”).

bor+

Mannaggia a te!

Mannaggia, che guaio!


magari

From Greek μακάρι (makári, “I wish”), which is derived from Ancient Greek μακάριος (makários, “blessed, happy”). Compare Portuguese macar (“although”, conjunction), Spanish maguer (“although”, conjunction) and Romanian măcar (“even”, adverb).

cog

(colloquial) used to express the speaker's wish that the preceding statement were true; I wish!; if only!; yeah right!


diavolo

From Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin diabolus (possibly semi-learned), itself from Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos).

che diavolo fai?

the devil, the heck, the dickens, the deuce


madonna

→ French: madone

→ Greek: μαντόνα (mantóna)

desc

→ Ottoman Turkish: منتونا (mantona, “mistress, concubine”)

→ Spanish: madona

(sometimes mildly vulgar, slang) express anger, astonishment, fear etc.


d'accordo

Compare French d’accord, Spanish de acuerdo, Portuguese de acordo, Romanian de acord.

d'accordo ... però

d'accordo ... ma


di nuovo

From Latin dē (“from”) + novō (“new”), possibly a restructured inherited form of Classical Latin dēnuō (“again, anew”), itself a reduced form of a supposed and unattested Old Latin *dē novōd. Related to Medieval Latin dē novō (“afresh, as a new thing, out of nowhere”). Compare Old Spanish de nuevo.


incredibile

wow (An indication of excitement or surprise)


permesso

said to ask for permission; may I?; may I come in?; knock knock


bella scoperta

(ironic) what a surprise! Who would have guessed it?


macché

of course not, not in the least, not on your life


ammazza

Ammazza, quant'è stupido, questo!

Goddamn, this guy is dumb! (literally, “Kill, how much is dumb, this one!”)

(chiefly Roman and central Italian) expressing surprise; damn!, goddamn!


ammazzate

(chiefly Roman and central Italian) Alternative form of ammazzete (“damn!, goddamn!”, expressing surprise)


impiccati

an exclamation of impatience or intolerance


sul serio

A: Una volta un mio amico ha combattuto con un alligatore. B: Sul serio?!

A: A friend of mine wrestled with an alligator once. B: No way!


meno male

thank goodness!; That's a good thing!; luckily!

Meno male che hai finito!

meno male che oggi non sono andato a lavorare perché c'è stata una bufera di neve nel pomeriggio!

it's a good thing that I didn't go to work today because there was a snowstorm this afternoon!

(followed by che) It's a good thing that..; It's a good job that..; It was lucky for me (or you, her, etc.) that.


mah

an expression of disapproval or resignation


ehi

hey! (used to attract someone's attention)


benvenuto

Inherited from Vulgar Latin *bene venūtus, presumably a calque of a Frankish term, derived from Proto-Germanic *wiljakwemô (“a welcome guest or arrival”), from which many modern Germanic forms descend, such as English welcome. By surface analysis, ben (“well”, apocopic form of bene) + venuto (“come”, past participle of venire)

surf

apocopic form of <i class="Latn mention" lang="it">bene</i>

past participle of <i class="Latn mention" lang="it">venire</i>


fanculo

Fanculo Tony Montana, fra il mondo è mio, zio!

2007, “Puro Bogotà”, in Vile Denaro, performed by Club Dogo:

Fuck Tony Montana, bro, the world is mine, dude!

Il pallone è andato a fanculo.

(vulgar, slang) far away, in the middle of nowhere


bentornato

From ben- (“well”) + tornato, the second element being the past participle of tornare (“to come back”). Compare also benvenuto (“welcome”).

Bentornato fra noi!


arrivederla

From a (“to”) + rivedere (“see again”) + la (“you [term of respect]”).


ahimè

From ahi + me. Compare Ancient Greek οἴμοι (oímoi) and Spanish ay de mí, Portuguese ai de mim.

Ahimè, che furia! Ahimè, che folla! Uno alla volta, per carità!

1816, Gioachino Rossini, Cesare Sterbini (lyrics and music), “Largo al factotum”, in Il barbiere di Siviglia:


ehilà

hey there! (Used to attract someone's attention)


perbacco

From per + Bacco. Compare Latin perbacchor (“to revel or carouse throughout”)


cribbio

an expression of surprise or disappointment: crikey, damn, blast, gee, blimey


mercé

mercé, datemi ascolto

Al gallo parve che fussi un bel giuoco:
Gran mercè, disse, che insegnato m’hai;
e chiuse gli occhi e cominciò a cantare,
perchè la volpe lo stessi ascoltare.

1478, Luigi Pulci, “Canto nono [Ninth Canto]”, in Morgante, Felice Le Monnier, published 1855, page 164:

The rooster thought it was a fine game. "Many thanks, he said, "for you have taught me". He closed his eyes and started singing, so that the fox could listen to him.


uffa

oof!, yikes; an expression of surprise, exhaustion, and often frustration

Expression of empathy with unpleasant or undesirable circumstances.


perdinci

an expression of disappointment or impatience; for goodness' sake


perdio

a rude expression of disappointment or impatience; for God's sake


in gamba

Literally, “on legs”, as opposed to be sick in bed.


marameo

an expression of derision, normally accompanied by a gesture


ammazzalo

(chiefly Roman and central Italian) Alternative form of ammazzelo (“damn!, goddamn!”, expressing surprise)


orsù

come now! (or similar term of encouragement etc.)


transeat

Unadapted borrowing from Latin trānseat.


gatta ci cova

Literally, “the cat is secretly hiding something”.


ben venuto

(dated) Alternative spelling of benvenuto


ohibò

tut-tut!; tsk tsk!; phew! (Used to show disgust, disapproval or surprise)


altolà

From alt(o) (“stop, halt”) + là (“there”).


caspio

Borrowed from Latin Caspius, from Ancient Greek Κάσπιος (Káspios).


cocuzza

From Late Latin cucutia (found in Pliny), from Latin cucurbita. Doublet of zucca and cucurbita. Compare Sicilian cucuzza.


perdindirindina

(humorous) an expression of disappointment, impatience or surprise; for goodness' sake


alé

Borrowed from French allez (“let's go”).


arri

gee up, giddyup (in urging a horse forward)


a mai più rivederci

goodbye, farewell (with the wish of never meeting that person again)


chicchirichì

Onomatopoeic. Compare Catalan quiquiriquic, Spanish quiquiriquí, German kikeriki, Slovene kikirikȋ, Czech kikirikí, kykyryký.


porca troia

porca (“damn”, literally “pig”) + troia (“sow”).


urca

(regional, colloquial, often humorous) used to denotes surprise; wow, blimey, damn


di nulla

you're welcome, don't mention it, no problem


nevvero

Contraction of (no)n è vero? (“isn't it true?”).

contraction

(informal, northern Italy) isn't it so?; isn't that true?


porco Dio

Literally, “pig God, swine God”, or more loosely translated as “God is a pig, God is a swine”. Univerbation of porco (“damn”, literally “pig”) + Dio (“God”).

univ

Tre giorni dopo, svegliata da sua madre alle 7 e 30 per andare a scuola, comincia a mormorare nel suo letto, le braccia stese sopra il lenzuolo, gli occhi sbarrati: «porcodioporcodioporcodioporcodio porco dio porco dio perdono porcodio perdono perdono porcodio perdono.»

1993, Giuseppe Pontiggia, Vite di uomini non illustri, pages 68–69:

Three days later, awakened by her mother at 7:30 for school, she starts mumbling in her bed, her arms laid on the sheets, her eyes wide open: "goddammitgoddammitgoddammitgoddammit goddammit goddammit forgive me goddammit forgive me forgive me goddammit forgive me."

Porco dio, sì, porco dio E PORCO DIO

2003, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Tutte le poesie, volume II, page 883:

Yes, goddammit, goddammit, and GODDAMMIT

(idiomatic, taboo, extremely vulgar, slang) God damn an expletive or oath, whose use is considered blasphemous by most Italian Catholics; usually an expression of displeasure, anger, frustration, or surprise


nientedimeno

From niente (“nothing”) + di (“of”) + meno (“less”).


nientepopodimeno

(informal) Alternative form of nientedimeno


poh

pooh! (expression of dismissal or contempt)


uhu

«Uhu!» disse Blut.
«Anch'io lo dico. Uhu! Bisogna che tu cambi.»

1945, Elio Vittorini, Uomini e no, Mondadori, published 1972, page 165:


aleppe

Pape Satàn, pape Satàn aleppe!

1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto VII”, in Inferno [Hell], line 1; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2ⁿᵈ revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:


suca

(idiomatic, slang, vulgar) suck it (an expression of rebuke or dismissal)


per tutti i diavoli

wow (an indication of excitement or surprise)


levati di torno

(idiomatic, colloquial, dismissal) used to tell somebody to go away or leave one alone


all'arme

desctree

→ French: alarme
→ Portuguese: alarme
→ English: alarm

Contraction of the phrase alle + arme (“to the arms”).

(military) a command to take up arms and be ready to fight: to arms!


alalà

Ultimately from Ancient Greek Ἀλαλά (Alalá), from ἀλαλή (alalḗ, “loud cry, battle cry”). Compare Koine Greek ἀλαλάζω (alalázō, “to vociferate, wail, clang”).


ammappete

Euphemistic alteration of ammazzete (literally “kill yourself!”) (Standard Italian ammazzati).

(chiefly Roman and central Italian) Euphemistic form of ammazzete (“damn!, goddamn!”, expressing surprise).


ammappelo

Euphemistic alteration of ammazzelo (literally “kill him!”) (Standard Italian ammazzalo).

(chiefly Roman and central Italian) Euphemistic form of ammazzelo (“damn!, goddamn!”, expressing surprise).


ammazzete

Equivalent to Standard Italian ammazzati (literally “kill yourself!”).


ammazzelo

Equivalent to Standard Italian ammazzalo (literally “kill him!”).


acqua in bocca

an injunction to keep a secret; mum's the word;under one's hat


ohilà

oy!, hello!, excuse me! (used to gain someone's attention)


hip hip hip hurrà

hip hip hip urrà
hip hip hip urrà#Italian

Alternative spelling of hip hip hip urrà


mersì bocù

Borrowed from French merci beaucoup (“thanks a lot”).


mersì

Borrowed from French merci (“thanks a lot”). Doublet of mercé.


lallera

an expression of indifference, detachment or carelessness


arigatò

Borrowed from Japanese ありがとう (arigatō, “thank you”).

arigato (“thank you”, used in the context of, or to evoke, Japanese culture)


un paio di palle

Literally, “a pair of balls (testicles)”.

lit

(idiomatic, slang, vulgar) my ass (expresses disapproval, disregard or disbelief)


stocazzo

(slang, vulgar) my ass, bullshit (indicates disapproval, disregard or disbelief)

(slang, humorous) deez nuts (often used in response to an obvious question)

(slang, vulgar) hell no (indicates reluctance to acquiesce to a request)


sticazzi

who fucking cares? (a reply expressing indifference)

(chiefly northern Italy) holy shit (expresses awe, surprise or astonishment)


ma anche no

A: Potremmo comprare un'altra macchina / B: Ma anche no

(colloquial, idiomatic, slang) or not (a sarcastic expression of disagreement)


giuraddiana

From giuro a Diana (“I swear to Diana”).

(dated, rare) Euphemistic form of giuraddio.


giurabbacco

From giuro a Bacco (“I swear to Bacchus”).

Giurabbacco, gli darò una lezione!

I swear to Bacchus, I'm going to give him a lesson!


giuraddio

Giuraddio che me la pagherà!

I swear to God he's going to pay for that!

(dated) used to express resentment or irritation, or resolution


daje

Dialectal yeísmo of dagli/dalle/dalli, a compound of dà (give) + je (to it, the unique dative form of the third-person).

com

(Rome) Alternative form of dai: you can do it!


poffare

Contraction of può fare (“[he/she/it] can do, can make”), originally used in phrases like “può fare Dio che sia così?” (“can God make it be as such?”, meaning “can it be possible?”).

(archaic, chiefly humorous) used to express wonder or astonishment and vague irritation


che cazzo

(mildly vulgar) what the hell, what the fuck


buona fortuna

in bocca al lupo
in bocca al lupo#Italian


datti all'ippica

go away, go to hell, leave me alone, get lost


Madò

Shortened form of Madonna. A minced oath.

(slang) exclamation of fright, incredulity, shock, surprise or anger


bella forza

(humorous, informal, sarcastic) big deal, so what


papale papale

as a matter of fact, forthcomingly, truth to tell


cosa bolle in pentola

Literally, “what boils in pot”, or more loosely translated as “what is boiling in the pot”.


chi s'è visto s'è visto

that's that, it is what it is, there you are


chi va là

Literally, “who goes there.” Compare French qui va là.


che ti è preso

what's wrong with you
what's wrong with you

what happened (to you)?, what's wrong with you?


che ti passa per la testa

what's the matter with you
what's the matter with you


chi ti credi di essere

who do you think you are
who do you think you are


chi non muore si rivede

Literally, “(he/she) who does not die is seen again”.


gioco da bambini

gioco da ragazzi
gioco da ragazzi#Italian


fai pure

go ahead; do as you please; do as you like


fuori dalle palle

fuori dai coglioni
fuori dai coglioni#Italian


luci, motore, azione

lights, camera, action
lights, camera, action


ciaone

(neologism, colloquial, humorous) hello; used as a greater and more affectionate greeting


toccaferro

Verb-object compound, composed of tocca (“to touch”) + ferro (“iron”).


in guardia

command given to duelists or boxers to take a defensive stance, also used as a warning


neanche per sogno

LL-Q652 (ita)-LangPao-neanche per sogno.wav


buon lavoro

a wish to the listener to work well, happily, or with determination


buon proseguimento

a wish for a good continuation of something that has already begun


per l'amor di Dio

Literally, “for the love of God”. Compare French pour l’amour de Dieu.


poco importa

Literally, “it little matters”. Compare French peu importe.


meglio così

it's all for the best
it's all for the best

so much the better, it's all for the best, oh well, just as well


sia lodato

Sia lodato il cielo!

Sia lodato il sole!

(often ironic) thank the...!, bless the...!


si vede

Purtroppo non ho fatto un bel lavoro./ Si vede!

Unfortunately I did not do a very good job./ Well obviously!

used to indicate that the other interlocutor's prior statement has been demonstrated clearly and visibly; obviously


diancine

Euphemistic alteration of diavolo (“devil”).


embè

Ma sei stato bocciato? — Embè?!

(colloquial, rhetorical question) so what (usually showing annoyance or surliness)


se, lallero

The first element being a dialectal variant of sì (“yes”), and the second one an onomatopoeia used for mocking the person's sincerity (compare trallallero, also used for mocking).

Guarda che quando ero giovane ero fortissimo a pallacanestro, battevo tutti. – Se, lallero!
When I was young I was very good at basket, you know? I always won. – Yeah, lallero!

(colloquial, Roman) yeah, right; yeah, sure; sure thing (in an ironic fashion):

used to express incredulity in response to an apparent lie

Se la metro è chiusa ci possiamo anche andare a piedi, eh. – Se, lallero! Sto in ciavatte io!
If the metro is closed we can still go there on foot, you know. – Yeah, lallero! I'm wearing crocs!

used to imply that some task is impossible in response to being requested to perform it


uffi

(chiefly humorous, to give off a childish tone) Alternative form of uffa


ahó

From a' (regional prefix for vocative) + oh (“oh”).

com

Ahó, ma che sta' a fà?

Ahó, Gabriè! Che dici?

used to get someone's attention, hey, yo

Ahó, me so' rotto.

Ahó, ma la smetti?

(informal, chiefly Rome) hey!
used to denote frustration

Ahó! – Ahó?
Hey! – What is it?

A' Robè! – Ahó? Che vòi?
[Hey] Roberto! – Yeah? What do you want?

(interrogative tone) used to indicate that you're listening after someone called you, yeah?, what is it?

chiefly Rome; interrogative tone; interrogative tone

Ma allora, j'haai fatta? – ... – Ahó?
So, did you make it? – ... – Well?

Pronto? Me senti? Ahó?

(at the phone) Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?

(interrogative tone) used to spur the listener to say something, well?


anvedi

Univerbation of a' + 'n + vedi, literally “oh you don't see”.

univerbation

Anvedi oh.

Anvedi che macchinone che t'ha accattato il papà.

Wow, what a big car your father bought you.

denotes surprise about something. would you look at, what a

e la gente diceva // anvedi che santo // vestito d'amianto

1976, Rino Gaetano (lyrics and music), “Berta filava”:

And people said: "Would you look at that saint, dressed in asbestos."

followed by che
(ironic) denotes disapproval


a' 'n hai capito

Literally, “oh you didn't understand”. Compare hai capito and anvedi.

(colloquial, regional, Rome) Synonym of hai capito


hai capito

I musei sono gratis ogni prima domenica del mese. – Hai capito!
Museums are free every first sunday of the month. – Oh, wow!

Hai capito che pazzo questo, che va col buio nei vicoli.

What a madman, going around alleys in the dark.

(informal) used to denote surprise to something someone told


eccallà

Romanesco variant of eccola là, literally, “there it is”.

Guarda là, sono saliti i controllori. – Eccallà!
Look there, the bus inspectors got on. – I knew it!

(Rome, colloquial) used in an unpleasant situation which was predicted but hoped that it wouldn't happen


aridaje

Romanesco, literally, “give back to him/her/it”. See also daje.

– Si sono messi a litigare. – Aridaje!
– They started arguing. – Here we go again!

Aridaje co sta storia!

- Che non hai. - Aridaje!

(Rome) here we go again (expression of frustration for something bad repeating)


aridanghete

Alternative form of aridaje, only when it is alone in the whole sentence as an interjection


vai a farti fottere

(vulgar, slang) go fuck yourself!, fuck you!, get fucked!, fuck off!


va' a farti fottere

vai a farti fottere
vai a farti fottere#Italian


niente male

Literally, “nothing bad”. Compare French pas mal.


grz

(text messaging) Abbreviation of grazie (“thanks”).


ammappa

Euphemistic alteration of ammazza (literally “kill!”).

(chiefly Roman and central Italian) Euphemistic form of ammazza (“damn!, goddamn!”, expressing surprise).


scs

(Internet, text messaging) Abbreviation of scusa.


porca mignotta

(vulgar, taboo, slang) fucking hell, holy shit


porcodio

(offensive, extremely vulgar, slang) a blasphemy


giurin giurello

Two diminutive nouns from giurare (“to swear”).


al ladro

Quelli devi pagarli! Fermati subito! Al ladro! Al ladro!

2016, Stranger Things, season 1, episode 6, spoken by grocery store manager (Kevin Patrick Murphy):

You have to pay for those! Stop right there! Thief! Thief!


al diavolo

Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo): Non puoi averne [dei migliori amici] più di uno. / Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard): Chi lo dice? / La logica. / Al diavolo la logica, anche tu sei il mio migliore amico.

2016, Stranger Things, season 1, episode 6:

You can't have more than one best friend. / Says who? / Says logic. / Well I call bull on your logic, because you're my best friend too.


dolcetto o scherzetto

Calque of English trick or treat. Literally, “(little) sweet or (little) joke/prank.”