The non-dictionary
Italian words, expressions and habits explained beyond their literal translation.
ALLORA
The key to understanding Italians.
TRANQUILLO
In Italy, tranquillo is a form of relationship maintenance.
UN CAFFÈ
For an Italian, asking for a coffee is only the beginning of the conversation.
FIGURATI
In many countries, when someone thanks you, a simple “you’re welcome” is enough.
ACCENDO L'ARIA
Italian summers are getting hotter and hotter. Yet every time someone reaches for the air-conditioning remote, a discussion begins.
LA MOKA
For an Italian, the moka is not a kitchen utensil. It is an inheritance.
LE PERSIANE
To many foreigners they are simply shutters. To Italians, persiane are a way of living in a house.
IL BIDET
To many foreigners it is a mystery. To Italians, its absence is inexplicable.
BOH
Try asking an Italian what boh really means.
STASERA GIOCA L'ITALIA
If there is one thing capable of bringing Italians together, it is the national football team.
IL CONGIUNTIVO
If you are studying Italian, you have probably already encountered the congiuntivo, the condizionale, consecutio temporum and a quantity of rules that seem to have been invented specifically to discourage you.
MAGARI
Of all the Italian words that confuse foreigners, magari is probably the most deceptive.
FACCIAMO DUE PASSI
If an Italian suggests facciamo due passi?, do not worry about the distance.
CI SENTIAMO
If an Italian ends a conversation with ci sentiamo, do not rush to check your phone.
PASSA A TROVARMI
If an Italian tells you:
VEDIAMO
If you ask an Italian a question and they answer:
CI ARRANGIAMO
Few expressions describe Italians better than ci arrangiamo.
C****!
If you study Italian from textbooks, they will tell you that cazzo is a vulgar word.
LO DICO SOLO A TE
If there is one phrase a foreigner should learn to take with a pinch of salt, it is this:
CI PENSANO I NONNI
A piece of the Italian welfare system.
LA SCARPETTA
The sincerest compliment you can give the person who cooked.
TOP
A very quick way of taking a position.
FA' COME SE FOSSI A CASA TUA
The way many Italians approach the rest of the world.
LASCIA PERDERE
One of Italians’ favourite ways of recognising one another.
MA VA LÀ!
An expression that, in most cases, involves no actual movement whatsoever.
SCENDE IN CAMPO
In Italy, people do not merely run for office. They take the field.
PERDERSI IN UN BICCHIER D’ACQUA
When a tiny difficulty somehow turns into a major problem.
PRECIPITEVOLISSIMEVOLMENTE
Twenty-six letters, a formidable reputation, and one small problem: it is not actually the longest Italian word.
COME VA?
A very simple question. Until the answer decides how much you are allowed to ask next.
HO PERSO LA TESTA
Love, anger or chaos: Italians can lose their heads in several different ways.
TUTTO FUMO E NIENTE ARROSTO
All show, no substance. And the online guru has finally found his Italian proverb.
STAI SERENO!
A reassurance that can produce exactly the opposite effect.
LA SUPERCAZZOLA
The art of saying absolutely nothing while making the person who did not understand feel inadequate.
GOMBLODDO!
When the absence of evidence becomes the ultimate evidence.
E STICAZZI?
Rome’s practical philosophy for putting things back into proportion.
L’APERISUSHI
A €20 cocktail, four uramaki and a long evening spent staring at your toes.
LA CHIAPPA
The last Italian institution everyone can agree on.
LA SFIGA
It isn’t bad luck. It’s when bad luck seems to have a personal issue with you.
A CAZZO DI CANE
It’s not simply doing something badly. It’s knowing there is a right way and choosing another one anyway.
NON C’È DI CHE
The Italian answer to “thank you”. One of many.
VABBÈ
One word, at least six meanings. To understand “vabbè”, vocabulary is not enough: you need the tone.
92 MINUTI DI APPLAUSI
One word, at least six meanings. To understand “vabbè”, vocabulary is not enough: you need the tone.
CHI VIVE SPERANDO...
“Chi vive sperando…”: Italian fatalism, hope, and the scratch card.
FACCIAMO CHE...
Facciamo che…: the Italian proposal where the decision has already been made.
IN GAMBA
To be capable, sharp and reliable. And, preferably, to have two legs.
IL BOMBER
Il bomber: quello che segna. In campo, possibilmente. Fuori, secondo curriculum.
MAMMA MIA!
Two words. An entire emotional operating system.
IL PACCO DA GIÙ
Il pacco da giù: when Italy’s North–South divide arrives by courier.
SÌ, PRONTO?
Sì, pronto? When answering the phone became more intimate than sending a seven-minute voice note.
CHE FIGURA DI MERDA!
Che figura di merda: the Italian art of realizing your dignity has just collapsed in public.
PIUTTOSTO CHE.
Piuttosto che: the Italian conjunction that had a perfectly good job until somebody decided it meant “or”.
MAI UNA GIOIA
Mai una gioia: when a thirty-second annoyance becomes definitive proof that the universe has it in for you.
A POSTO COSÌ
A posto così: three polite words meaning perfect, enough, I want nothing else and, if you keep pushing, please leave.
GRAZIE AL CAZZO!
Italy’s official acknowledgment of the obvious. It sounds like thanks. It is not.
IN TEORIA.
The two words Italians use to officially acknowledge that rules exist before explaining why, this time, they do not apply.
FITTARE
An Italian verb born when “to be suitable” stopped fitting our needs.
NORD SUD OVEST EST
Italian geolocation existed long before smartphones. It was called an accent.
DICIAMO
When an Italian starts with “diciamo”, honesty is about to pass through a filter.
SALAME!
When salame stops being cured meat and becomes a temporary diagnosis.
TIRARSELA
The art of making everyone know you could easily do without them — while making absolutely sure they notice.
PIOVE, GOVERNO LADRO!
It rains. And therefore, naturally, the government are thieves.
TUTTO IN VACCA
When a situation that could still have ended well suddenly takes the wrong turn. And accelerates.
MA VAI A ZAPPARE!
When perceived competence runs much faster than actual competence.
MI RACCOMANDO
The Italian formula that turns advice you already know into a responsibility that is now officially yours.
AURA
Gen Z turned charisma into a points system. If you grew up with Dragon Ball, confusion is guaranteed.
IL DUE DI PICCHE
Italy’s classic romantic rejection: a playing card turned into the official diagnosis of misplaced hope.
TUTTO FA BRODO.
The Italian principle that even something small, mediocre or apparently insignificant can still be useful.
CHE FACCIA TOSTA!
The ability to be wrong with such confidence that the person who is right starts to doubt themselves.
UN ATTIMINO.
The most elastic unit of time in the Italian metric system.
ABBIOCCO.
The state of consciousness that inevitably follows a proper Italian lunch.
ANCHE MENO.
The handbrake on other people’s excess.
NON SEI MICA AL COLOSSEO!
A Roman monument, an open door and an Italian family emergency.
IN SHAPE
The art of exercising your intentions without tiring your body.
CHI DORME NON PIGLIA PESCI
A perfectly sensible instruction: wake up early, work hard and seize your opportunities. Stay in bed and you will miss the fish. Apparently, there is no argument.
CHISSENE!
The Italian art of not caring—and making sure everyone knows.
MA BRAVO!
A compliment. Someone is praising your achievements. Surely you should smile and say thank you. Not so fast: in Italy, listen to the tone first.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY?
Write it however it comes to you. Even in your own language.