Category Archives: Italian language

Italian Slang: A

Italian Slang Dictionary: intro A B C D E F G I L M N O P Q R S T U V X Z

Accidente, un

[ah-chee-DEN-tay] A darn thing, usually used in the negative, as in Non mi ricordo un’accidente – I don’t recall a thing. In normal useage, an accident (as with a car) is un incidente.

QT adds: Ti venisse un accidente – “May you have an accident,” an ill-wish which apparently refers more to serious illness (heart attack, stroke, etc.).

Accidenti

[ah-chee-DEN-ti] A mild expletive, in a league with drat, darn, heck.

Apprezzamento

[ah-pretz-a-MEN-toe] Not a rude word, this translates roughly as “appreciation” or “comment”, but it’s used most often in apprezzamenti pesanti (pesanti = “heavy”) for the kind of “appreciative” comment made to a woman that would cause her husband, boyfriend, etc., to react angrily. Such comments are often followed, in the news reports, by violence.

Arrapare

[ar-ra-PAR-ray] To become sexually excited.

3girls

The graffiti scribbled on this poster says: “Would you get hot (ti arraparesti) if this girl was your daughter? – This is too much. – www.cracra.org”

Attaccabottoni

[ah-TAHK-ka-bot-TONE-ee] Literally a “stick-to-buttons”. A long-winded bore. Someone who “grabs you by the lapel” and won’t let go. This term is not particularly rude, except to the person to whom you apply it!

Learn Italian in Song: Translations of Italian Popular Songs

A friend told me that she learned Italian via song lyrics. My Italian husband, as a teenager, wanted to learn English so he could understand the lyrics to Jesus Christ Superstar. So, to aid in your Italian studies, I present side-by-side translations of some popular (with me, at least) Italian songs.

See my Amazon Italian music store if you’d like to honor these artists by buying their music.

These translation do not attempt to be elegant – they are intentionally very literal, to help you learn, and therefore do not do full justice to the linguistic beauties of the songs in the original.

Index of Songs (Now Incomplete)

You can also browse the tag.

Aggiungi un Posto a Tavola – An Italian Musical – full list of translated songs from the show on this page

7000 Caffé

A Casa d’Irene

Acqua Azzurra, Acqua Chiara

Amo Tutte le Signore

Anche Per Te

Anna

Azzurro

Balla Linda

Cent’Anni di Meno

Centro di Gravita’  Permanente

Certi Momenti

Chitarra, Suona Piu’ Piano

Com’é Profondo il Mare

Come Mai

Con il Nastro Rosa

Dieci Ragazze per Me

Domani 21/04/09

Donne

Due su Due

E la Barca Torno’ Sola

E Penso a Te

Emozioni

Eri Piccola Cosi

First Me, Second Me

Fossi Figo

Gianna

Gli Ostacoli del Cuore

Guarda Come Dondolo

I Bambini Fanno Ooh

I Giardini di Marzo

I Watussi

Il Ballo del Mattone

Il Campo Delle Lucciole

Il Mio Canto Libero

Il Pescatore

Il Ragazzo della via Gluck

Il Solito Sesso

Io Con La Ragazza Mia, Tu Con La Ragazza Tua

La Pulce d’Acqua

L’Emozione non ha Voce

L’Italiano

L’Ultimo Bacio

La Canzone del Sole

La Casetta in Canada

La Coppia Piu’ Bella del Mondo

La Terra dei Cachi

La Vasca

Largo al Factotum della Citta

Le Ragazze

Libera Nos Domine

Lui

Mi Piaci

Parco Sempione

Parole Parole

Pensieri e Parole

Peperone

Questo Piccolo Grande Amore

Sandokan

Sentimento, Pentimento

Sono Una Donna, Non Sono Una Santa

Sparring Partner

Stessa Spiaggia, Stesso Mare

Tanti Auguri

Ti Voglio Bene

Tintarella di Luna

Tu Come Stai

Tu Vuo’ Fa’ L’Americano

Tuo Bacio é Come Un Rock

Uguale a Lei

Una Donna per Amico

Una Su Un Milione

USA for Italy

Via Con Me

Voglio Volere

Volare

Learn Italian in Song: La Canzone del Sole

The Song of the Sun

One of the greatest pop songs ever, in any language. Music by Lucio Battisti, lyric by Mogol (1971). If you only ever listen to one Italian pop song, it should be this one.

Le bionde trecce gli occhi azzurri e poi Blonde braids, blue eyes, and then
le tue calzette rosse your red socks
e l’innocenza sulle gote tue And the innocence on your cheeks ““
due arance ancor piu’ rosse two oranges redder still
e la cantina buia dove noi, respiravamo piano And the dark cellar where we breathed softly
e le tue corse l’eco dei tuoi no, oh no And your running, the echo of your “no’s” ““ oh, no
mi stai facendo paura you’re scaring me
dove sei stata cosa hai fatto mai? Where you have you been, what on earth have you done?
una donna, donna, dimmi “A woman” ““ woman, tell me
cosa vuol dir sono una donna ormai? What does it mean: “I’m a woman now” ?
ma quante braccia ti hanno stretto tu lo sai How many arms have held you – you know [the answer]
per diventar quel che sei to become what you are?
che importa tanto tu non me lo dirai What does it matter – in any case, you won’t tell me.
purtroppo Unfortunately.
ma ti ricordi l’acqua verde e noi But do you remember the green water and us,
le rocce e il bianco fondo The rocks and the white sea floor?
di che colore sono gli occhi tuoi? What color are your eyes?
se me lo chiedi non rispondo If you ask me, I won’t answer.
oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ner Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea”¦
tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me.
oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea”¦
tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me.
Le biciclette abbandonate sopra il prato e poi The bicycles abandoned on the grass and then
noi due distesi all’ombra We two stretched out in the shade.
un fiore in bocca può servire sai A flower in the mouth can be useful, you know
più allegro tutto sembra Everything seems more cheerful.
e d’improvviso quel silenzio tra noi And suddenly that silence between us
e quel tuo sguardo strano And that strange look of yours.
ti cade il fiore dalla bocca e poi… The flower falls from your mouth and then…
oh no ferma ti prego la mano Oh, no, please – stop your hand.
dove sei stata, cosa hai fatto mai? Where have you been, what on earth have you done?
una donna, donna, donna dimmi “A woman” – woman? – woman, tell me
cosa vuol dir “sono una donna ormai”? What does it mean: “I’m a woman now” ?
Io non conosco quel sorriso sicuro che hai I don’t know that secure smile that you have
non so chi sei, non so piu’ chi sei I don’t know who you are, I don’t know who you are anymore
mi fai paura oramai, purtroppo You scare me now – unfortunately.
ma ti ricordi le onde grandi e noi Do you remember the big waves and us
gli spruzzi e le tue risa The splashes and your laughs
cos’è rimasto in fondo agli occhi tuoi? What remains at the bottom of your eyes?
la fiamma é spenta o é accesa Has the flame gone out or does it still burn?
Oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea”¦
tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me.
oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea”¦
tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me. You were clear and transparent as me.
Il sole quando sorge, sorge piano e poi The sun when it rises, rises slowly and then
la luce si diffonde tutto intorno a noi The light spreads all around us
le ombre di fantasmi nella notte The shadows of phantoms in the night
sono alberi e cespugli ancora in fiore Are trees and bushes still in flower
sono gli occhi di una donna ancora pieni d’amore They’re the eyes of a woman, still full of love.

Italian Baby Names I Happen to Like

Some less common but still current Italian baby names that I happen to like:

  • Alessandra [ah-less-SAHN-dra]
  • Corrado [cor-RAH-do] – I’ve only ever seen this on an older (now dead, in fact) television personality, but have always liked it. Equivalent to the English Conrad.
  • Dario [DAH-ree-oh] From the old Persian Darius, the name of several kings.
  • Fausta, Fausto [FOW-sta, FOW-sto] The first syllable rhymes with “cow”. An old Roman name meaning happy and/or lucky.
  • Fiamma [FYAHM-mah], or more commonly Fiametta [fyahm-MET-ta] – flame, little flame
  • Gaia [GUY-ah] – an Old Roman goddess, I think.
  • Livia [LIV-ee-ah] – Roman
  • Massimo [MAHSS-ih-mo] – Old Roman Maximus, aka Max. Variants include Massimino (little Massimo) and Massimiliano.
  • Tosca [TOSS-ka]

What are some of your favorite Italian names?

Related: Old-Fashioned Italian Baby Names

Italian Slang and Swearwords

Italian Slang Dictionary: intro A B C D E F G I L M N O P Q R S T U V X Z

Introduction to Italian Slang

If you’re planning to live or travel in Italy, you might find it helpful to know what people are saying – much of which is not in polite phrasebooks! And sometimes it helps to be able to fire a few juicy phrases of your own. Select a letter above to go to the page of Italian swearwords starting with that letter.

  • Subject to revision whenever the mood strikes me. If you have something you’d like to add or suggest or comment on, go here (where you can also see what others have suggested).
  • Most of this usage is not for polite company. For milder slang and idiom, see this page.
  • I live(d) in northern Italy, so the usage described here may be specific to northern Italy, particularly Milan and Lombardy, unless otherwise noted. Your mileage may vary. I left Italy in 2008, so my usage here may not be up to date, though some of these words and phrases are… timeless.
  • Here’s a video of some common Italian hand gestures (many of them rude, along with pronunciation of some of the phrases below).
  • Giovanna & Angiolino: a pop song (yes, it’s relevant)

A Note on Blasphemy

Some of these words and phrases fall into the category of bestemmie (blasphemy): taking the Lord’s (or Jesus’ or Mary’s) name in vain. Be aware that these may be considered particularly offensive by some people.

Other rude words are simply called parolacce – “bad words.”