Tag Archives: Italian language

Learn Italian in Song: Anna

Another Battisti classic.

Hai ragione anche tu
cosa voglio di più
un lavoro io l’ho
una casa io l’ho
la mattina c’è chi
mi prepara il caffè
questo io lo so
e la sera c’è chi
non sa dirmi no
cosa voglio di più
hai ragione tu
cosa voglio di più
cosa voglio
Anna
voglio Anna
Non hai mai visto un uomo piangere
apri bene gli occhi sai perché tu ora lo vedrai
apri bene gli occhi sai perché tu ora lo vedrai
se tu non hai mai visto un uomo piangere
guardami
guardami
Anna
voglio Anna
Ho dormito lì
fra i capelli suoi
io insieme a lei
ero un uomo
quanti e quanti sì
ha gridato lei
quanti non lo sai
ero un uomo
Cosa sono ora io
cosa sono mio Dio
resta poco di me
io che parlo con te
io che parlo con te di
Anna
Anna
voglio Anna
You, too, are right
What more do I want?
I have a job
I have a home
In the morning there is someone who
makes my coffee
I know this.
And in the evening there is someone who
Can’t say no to me
What more do I want?
You’re right.
What more do I want?
What do I want?
Anna.
I want Anna.
You’ve never seen a man cry
open your eyes wide, you know, because now you will see him/it
open your eyes wide, you know, because now you will see him/it
if you’ve never seen a man cry
look at me
look at me
Anna.
I want Anna.
I slept there
among her hair
together with her
I was a man
How many “yeses”
she cried out
You don’t know how many
I was a man
What am I now?
My god, what am I?
There’s little left of me
I who speak with you
I who speak with you of
Anna.
Anna.
I want Anna.

Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines, Jan 2 2009

Lecco: Beats/strikes [female] companion – arrested

Pasturo [a small town in the mountains]: party in a mountain cabin, dies at 22 years. [We know from the local grapevine that the cause of death was probably a drug overdose. The young man dropped dead at the dinner table at a New Year’s party among friends.]

Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines, Jan 1 2009

Left:

  • Savings: countdown: January 3 the sales begin, but some are already giving discounts
  • Falls into a creek and his friend saves his life
  • Happy birthday Riccardo! The great Cassin turns 100 [Italy’s “greatest living mountaineer,” a native of Lecco, turned 100 on January 2nd. There will be a statue etc.]

Center:

  • Taxes: The tax police discover 31 total tax evaders.
  • Another raid of vandalism, walls full of graffiti
  • Survery: choose the Lecchese of the year

Right:

  • Lecco: the struggle against [tax] evaders and loan sharks
  • Lecco: 15-year-old robbed by gang of bullies

Everyday Italian: Newspaper Headlines, Dec 2008

headlines from Dec, 2008

Left:

  • The race for gifts paralyzes Lecco
  • Lecco [the soccer team] defeated during the last minutes

Center:

  • Nurse at Manzoni [hospital], native of Lecco, dies on the Medale [local cliff face]
  • Roads and trains in chaos [from holiday traffic, presumably]

Right:

  • Eluana: the decision [belongs to] the Udine clinic [this is a Terry Schiavo-like case, much debated this year in Italy]
  • Goodbye to Notaio Messina [a notaio is something between a notary public and a lawyer]
  • Crash: 17-year-old in critical condition

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Left:

  • Incredible: the [local boating club] goes to the America’s Cup, and the city government asks them for 264 thousand euros
  • Trains and roads are disgusting: Lecchesi protest
  • Soccer: Lecco loses and closes the last round of andata [? soccer term I don’t know]

Right:

  • Hospital: they weighed one kilo between the two: Sofia and Vittoria win the challenge of life
  • Airoldi & Muzzi increases fees by 200 euros per month

Learn Italian in Song: Acqua Azzurra, Acqua Chiara

Blue Water, Clear Water

Battisti, 1969.

Ogni notte ritornar To return every night
per cercarla in qualche bar, to search for her in some bar
domandare: “Ciao, che fai?” to ask €œHi, what are you up to?€
e poi uscire insieme a lei. and then go out with her.
Ma da quando ci sei tu But since there’s you
tutto questo non c’é piu’. all of this is no more.

ritornello refrain
Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara Blue water, clear water
con le mani posso finalmente bere. I can finally drink with my hands
Nei tuoi occhi innocenti In your innocent eyes
posso ancora ritrovare I can find again
il profumo di un amore puro, the perfume of a pure love
puro come il tuo amor. pure as your love.

Ti telefono se vuoi I’ll call you if you want
non so ancora se c’é lui… I don’t know yet if he’s there
accidenti che faro’ Damn, what will I do?
quattro amici trovero’. I’ll find four friends
Ma da quando ci sei tu But since there’s you
tutto questo non c’é piu’. all of this is no more.
(ritornello) (refrain)

Sono le quattro e mezza ormai It’s half past four by now
non ho voglia di dormir I don’t want to sleep
a quest’ora, cosa vuoi, at this hour, what do you expect,
mi va bene pure lei. even she will do
Ma da quando ci sei tu But since there’s you
tutto questo non c’é piu’. all of this is no more.
(ritornello) (refrain)

If you want to sing along, here’s a karaoke version on YouTube.