ILGUR: Italian Language, Grammar and Usage Resource

Here are some useful Italian expressions, modi di dire, to add to your vocabulary – they are verb phrases that can be used to mean something else:

• dare nell’occhio to attract attention

  Quella donna dà molto nell’occhio con la sua camicia stretta!
  That woman is attracting a lot of attention with that tight shirt.
  

• tagliare la corda to slip away, to sneak off
  
  Mentre il professore era distratto, ne approfittai per tagliare la corda e andai a fumare.
  While the teacher was distracted, I profited from it in order to slip away and went to smoke.
  
• gettare la spugna to throw in the towel (i.e. to give up)

  Che fai, Maria?? Perché insisti a voler salvare il tuo matrimonio? Faresti meglio a gettare la spugna ed a divorziare dal tuo marito infedele e bugiardo!
  What are you doing, Maria?? Why do you insist on wanting to save your marriage? You would do better to throw in the towel and divorce your unfaithful and lying husband.
  

• fare un buco nell’acqua to fail

  Dopo aver studiato per una settimana, ho fatto un buco nell’acqua e mi tocca rifare l’esame l’anno prossimo.
  After having studied for a week, I failed and it’s my turn to retake the exam next year.
  

• perdere la faccia to lose face (see also: salvare la faccia: to save face)

  Il giornale ha rivelato che il politico ha commesso tante indiscrezioni. Sembra che abbia perso la faccia dopo troppi scandali.
  The newspaper revealed that the politician committed so many indiscretions. It seems that he lost face after too many scandals.
  

• essere nato con la camicia to be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth

  Giovanni non lavora mai, ma non è una sorpresa. Quando si è nati con la camicia, non non ce n’è bisogno.
  Giovanni never works, but it is not a surprise. When one is born with a silver spoon in their mouth, there’s no need.

• mangiare la foglia to smell a rat; to see through something (such as a trick, swindle)

  Uno sconosciuto mi ha telefonato e ha detto che ho vinto la lotteria. Ho mangiato la foglia!
  A stranger phoned me and told me that I won the lottery. I smelled a rat!

• avere la testa fra le nuvole to have one’s head in the clouds

  La professoressa vuole aiutare Marco che non è mai attento e ha sempre la testra fra le nuvole.
  The teacher wants to help Marco, but he never pays attentions and always has his head in the clouds.
  
  could also say: essere distratto

• raccontare (dire) per filo e per segno to narrate in detail

  Giuseppe ama raccontare i suoi aneddoti d’infanzia per filo e per segno.
  Giuseppe loves to tell his childhood anecdotes in detail.

• piantare in asso to leave in the lurch

  Il mio amico mi ha piantato in asso. Adesso devo viaggiare da solo in Germania, e non parlo tedesco.
  My friend left me in the lurch. Now I have to travel by myself to Germany, and I don’t speak German.

• salvare capra e cavoli to have it both ways

  Giovanni vuole continuare a vedere Maria e anche vuole rimanere sposato a Marcella. Come può salvare capra e cavoli?
  Giovanni wants to continue to see Maria and he also wants to remain married to Marcella. How can he have it both ways?
  

For more modi di dire, check out this page from Wikipedia Italia.

Avere + noun is used in Italian to convey idiomatic qualities that are often expressed in English with the verb, to be. Remember that avere is highly irregular, and it is best that you memorize this verb in all of its tenses and moods. These expressions below are quite common and should be memorized (and used) as you will encounter them often in Italian:

• avere caldo to be hot

  Oggi la temperatura è brutta — è impossibile non avere caldo!
  Today the temperature is brutal — it is impossible not to be hot!

• avere fame to be hungry

  Mia sorella ha fame perché ha dimenticato di mangiare la sua prima colazione.
  My sister is hungry because she forgot to eat her breakfast.
  
  

• avere freddo to be, to feel cold

  L’aria condizionata è troppo forte e ho freddo. È possibile aumentare la temperatura?
  The air conditioning is too strong, and I’m cold. Is it possible to increase the temperature?
  
  

• avere fretta to be in a hurry

  Laura e Maria hanno fretta stamattina! Il taxi era in ritardo e stanno per perdere il loro volo!

  Laura and Maria are in a hurry this morning! The taxi was late and they are about to miss their flight.
  
  

• avere paura to be afraid

  Abbiamo paura che l’economia peggiori.
  We are afraid that the economy is worsening.

• avere ragione to be right

  Mio fratello ha sempre ragione in matematica. Non puoi contraddirlo.
  My brother is always right in math. You can’t contradict him.

• avere torto to be wrong

  Mia madre aveva torto. Casablanca non è la capitale del Marocco.
  My mother was wrong. Casablance is not the capitol of Morocco.
  
  

• avere sete to be thirsty

  I cammelli non hanno sete spesso. Possono conservare l’acqua per molti giorni.
  The camels are not often thirsty. They can conserve water for many days.

• avere sonno to be sleepy

  Danilo si sveglia troppo presto in questi giorni ed ogni sera ha molto sonno.
  Danilo is waking up too early in these days and every evening he is very sleepy.
  

• avere bisogno di to need, to have need of

  Hai bisogno di andare al supermercato oggi?
  Do you need to go to the supermarket today?
  
  

• avere voglia di to want; to feel like

  Non hanno voglia di prendere un caffè. Mariella prova ad evitare la caffeina.
  They don’t feel like having coffee. Mariella is trying to avoid caffeine.

• avere senso to make sense

  Le cose che dici non hanno senso! Spiegati, per favore.
  The things that you are saying are not making sense! Explain yourself, please.

• avere + number + anni to be x number of years old
  
  Quanti anni ha Marco?
  Marco? Ha 33 anni, credo.

  How old is Marco?
  Marco? He’s 33 years old, I believe.

Do you know of any other idiomatic expressions with the verb, avere? If so, please leave them as a comment, and I will add them to the list with an example.

There are numerous expressions that involve the human body that are quite common in Italian. Below is a list of common expressions that I learned in my last Italian lesson — I’ve compiled what I’ve learned and provided English equivalents for your enjoyment! Some of the expressions are quite common, and it would be good to practice making your own sentences. Feel free to post your examples, and I will check them for you!

Below is the list of new expressions involving parts of the body:

• la testa head 

   

  • girare la testa to make one’s head spin 

    Mamma mia, non posso più studiare! Mi gira la testa!
    Mamma mia, I can’t study anymore! My head is spinning!
    
    NB: Note the use of the indirect object pronoun, mi, which have a possessive function in the phrases above. In a future lesson, we’ll discuss on indirect object pronouns can be used possessively to refer to parts of the body.
    
    

  • fare di testa propria to do something one’s own wayLuisa è testardissima! Fa sempre di testa propria.
    Luisa is very stubborn. She always does it her own way.

     

  • avere la testa fra le nuvole to have one’s head in the clouds (i.e. daydreaming)
    
    Durante la lezione noiosa di matematica, ho realizzato che avevo la testa fra le nuvole.
    During the boring math lesson, I had my head in the clouds 

• la faccia face 
  • dire le cose in faccia to speak openly; to be direct 

    Danilo è una persona molto sincera. Dice sempre le cose in faccia.
    Danilo is a very sincere person. He always speeks openly.

     

  • tagliare la faccia literally: “to cut the face”; to hurt; to sting
    
    C’è un vento così forte che taglia la faccia.
    There’s a wind so fierce that is biting. 

• i capelli hair (always plural in Italian)
  • averne fin sopra i capelli to be fed up with; to be sick to death of 

    Ogni giorno lei ha una nuova scusa! Ne ho fin sopra i capelli.
    Every day she has a new excuse! I’m fed up with it.

     

• l’orecchio ear
  (pl. gli orecchi or le orecchie)
  • essere tutt’orrechi to be all ear’s 

    Gianna: Tony, stai attento?
    Gianna: Tony, are you paying attention?

    Tony: Sì, Gianna! Sono tutt’orecchi!
    Tony: Yes, Gianna! I’m all ears!

     

  • entrare da un orecchio e uscire dall’altro to go in one ear and out the otherQuando mia sorella usa il telefono, è inutile parlare con lei. Tutto quello che le dici le entra da un orecchio e le esce dall’altro.

    When my sister uses the phone, it’s useless to talk to her. Everything che you say goes in one ear and out the other.
    
    NB: Note the use of the indirect object pronoun, le, which have a possessive function in the phrases above. In a future lesson, we’ll discuss on indirect object pronouns can be used possessively to refer to parts of the body.

  • avere orecchio per la musica to have an ear for music 

• l’occhio eye 
  • non chiudere occhio to not sleep a wink 

    Non ho chiuso occhio ieri sera perché i vicini hanno avuto una festa.
    I didn’t sleep a wink last night because the neighbors had a party.

     

  • parlare a quattr’occhi [con qualcuno] to have a tête–à–tête [with someone], to have a private conversation [with someone]Ho parlato a quattro’occhi con mia madre dopo che ha litigato con mio padre.
    I had a private conversation with my moth after she argued with my father.

     

  • occhio per occhio, dente per dente eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth 

• il collo neck 
  • fra capo e collo unexpectedly 

    L’incidente stradale è accaduto fra capo a collo! Non potevo evitarlo.
    The accident happened unexpectedly. I could not avoid it.

     

• il naso nose
  • (non) mettere il naso fuori di casa to poke one’s nose out of doors 

    Oggi il tempo è brutto! Non ho messo il naso fuori di casa.
    Today the weather is brutal. I am not poking my nose out of doors.

     

  • mettere il naso negli affari degli altri to butt one’s nose into other people’s businessNon mi piace quando lui mette il naso nei miei affari.
    I don’t like it when he butts his nose into my business.

     

  • rimanere con un palmo di naso to feel disappointed<
    span>Sono rimasto con un palmo di naso quando ho perso il mio lavoro.
    I felt disappointed when I lost my job.
    
    

  • avere un buon naso to have a good nose (that is: to be adept at, capable)Lei ha un buon naso per incontrare nuove persone.
    She has a good nose for meeting new people.
• la bocca mouth 
  • acqua in bocca zip it!, hush! 

     

  • non ricordare dal naso alla bocca to be unable to remember a thingGli ho ripetuto dieci volte l’orario della festa ma non può ricordare dal naso alla bocca.
    I repeated to him 10 times the time of the party but he was unable to remember.

  • non aprire bocca to not say a word (as in: to keep quiet; to keep one’s mouth shut)Quando Luisa sa un segreto, non apre bocca con nessuno.
    When Luisa knows a secret, she doesn’t say a word to anyone.

     

  • non chiudere bocca to not stop talking (as in: to talk constantly)Quando rivedo mia madre dopo molto tempo, non chiude bocca.
    When I see my mother again after a while, she doesn’t stop talking.

     

  • rimanere a bocca aperta to be dumbfounded; to remain open mouthed (to be surprised, shocked)Ho vinto la lotteria e sono rimasto a bocca aperta!
    He won the lottery and was dumbfounded!

     

  • in bocca al lupo good luck (followed by “crepi il lupo” or “crepi”)Martin: Ciao, Gianna! In bocca al lupo!
    Gianna: Crepi!

• la spalle (pl. le spalle) shoulder (pl. shoulders) 
  • dire qualcosa alle spalle di qualcuno to say something behind someone’s back 

    Ho detto cose cattive alle spalle di Maria.
    I said bad things behind Maria’s back.

     

  • avere una famiglia numerosa sulle spalle to have a large family to supportLuigi non può uscire con noi stasera. Ha una famiglia numerosa sulle spalle.
    Luigi cannot go out with us tonight. He has a large family to support.

     

  • campare alle spalle di qualcuno to live off of someone
    vivere alle spalle di qualcuno to live off of someoneGianni non vuole vivere da solo. Campa alle spalle dei genitori da sempre.
    Gianni doesn’t want to live alone. He has always been living off his parents.

    Maria vive alle spalle di suo marito. Non ha coraggio di essere autonoma.
    Maria has been living off of Marco for months. When will she find an apartment?

     

• il braccio (pl. le braccia) arm 
  • a braccia aperte with open arms 

    Mi hanno incontrato a braccia aperte.
    They met me with open arms.
    
    

  • in braccio in one’s armsHanno un bebe in braccio.
    They have a baby in their arms.
    
    

  • incrociare le braccia to go on strikeGli operai hanno incrociato le braccia. Non lavorano oggi.
    The works went on strike. They are not working today.

     

• il gomito elbow 
  • alzare il gomito to hit the bottle 

    Marco alza il gomito ogni weekend! Forse bevi troppo.
    Marco hits the bottle every weekend. Perhaps he is drinking too much.
    
    

• la mano hand 
  • dare una mano to give a hand (that is, to help or to assist) 

    Gianna, dammi una mano!
    Gianna, give me hand!
    

  • alla mano easy-goingNiente gli da fastidio! È alla mano di tutto.
    Nothing bothers him! He is easy-going with everything.

     

  • stare con le mani in mano to twiddle one’s thumbs Gli studenti non fanno niente. Stanno con le mani in mano.
    The students are doing nothing. They are twidding their thumbs.
    
    

  • avere le mani bucate to be a spendthrift; to spend a lotNon sa risparmiare! Lei ha le mani bucate!
    She doesn’t know how to save! She is a spendthrift!

     

• il dito finger, toe 
  • toccare il cielo con un dito to be beside oneself with joy 

    Quando ho ricevuto la notizia, toccavo il cielo con un dito.
    When I received the news, I was beside myself with you.
    
    

  • bere due dita to drink small sips; to drink small amounts; to drink a little bitHo bevuto solo tyle=”font-weight: bold;”>due dita di gin e poi avevo sonno.
    I only drank a little bit of gin and then I was sleepy.
    
    

  • contarsi sulle dita di una mano to count on the finger’s of one’s hands
    *usually used to indicate the rarity of something or the lack of number of a certain thingI veri amici si contano sulle dita di una mano.
    One’s true friends can be counted on one hand.
  • Se gli dai un dito, si prende tutto il braccio
    If you give him an inch, he takes a mile 

• la gamba leg 
  • essere in gamba to be strong; to be capable; to be smart 

    Era ammalato, ma ha recuperato bene. È in gamba.
    He was sick but he recovered well. He is strong.

     

  • fare il passo secondo la gamba to cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth
    *in other words, to stick to things that you know/you can doFa’ il passo secondo la gamba! Non sei molto musicale!
    Stick to what you know! You are not very musical.
    
    

• il piede foot (pl. feet)
  • a piedi on foot
    andare a piedi to walk 

    Siamo a piedi al museo.
    We walked to the museum.

  • stare in piedi to be on one’s feet; to stand up (as in, to make sense, to hold up)Il suo argomento non sta in piedi — purtroppo, non ha senso.
    Her argument does not hold up — unfortunately, it doesn’t make sense.
    
  • fare con i piedi to be done poorlyIl lavoro di tua sorella è sempre fatto con i piedi.
    Your sister’s work is always done poorly.
  • su due piedi at once; on the spotMarcello decide su due piedi invece di pensare prima.
    Marcello decides on the spot instead of thinking first.

Downloads:
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The adverb, mica, is a useful one, and, if you can understand its usage, will make you sound more like a native speaker. Mica is used more in the north of Italy than elsewhere in Italy, but it is still a useful expression to know, and you might hear it used throughout Italy. It is heard more often than it is seen. It is also very colloquial and informal and should be avoided in your writing.

You will also find that mica is used differently throughout Italy, but below are some general guidelines on its usage. Below are some rules and tips regarding its usage:

Mica is an adverb. Remember that adverbs modify other adverbs, adjectives and verbs. Adverbs never modify nouns, and this will help in understanding its usage.

Mica can be used with non to reinforce the negative. It is difficult to translate, but can mean in the least or at all. With these examples below, t the usage will become clearer:

Monica mi ha detto delle cose orribili. Ma non sono mica offesa.
Monica said some horrible things to me. But I am not offended in the least.

Miriam non riesce a pagare oggi. La sua amica non era mica arrabbiata.
Miriamo is unable to pay you today. Her friend was not at all angry.

Il biglietto non era mica costoso. Te l’ho comprato.
The ticket wasn’t expensive at all. I bought it for you!

Mica can precede adjectives or adverbs to provide a negation or in place of non before the verb. Remember that these type of constructions are very colloquial in nature:

Ti è piaciuto il film?
Did you like the film?

Mica tanto. Era noioso e troppo lungo.
Not much. It was boring and too long.

Ciao, Emilio! Come va?
Hey, Emilio! How’s it going?

Mica male! E tu?
Not bad! And you?

Mica è corretto inquinare il mare!
It is not at all right to pollute the sea!

Mica noioso quel attore!
That actor is not boring in the least!

Mica can be used in negative questions with the meaning, by any chance; when the subject is a pronoun, it cannot be omitted (as in the first example below):

Qualcuno mi ha telefonato ieri notte mentre dormivo. Non sei mica stato tu?
Someone phoned me last night while I was sleeping. It wasn’t you by any chance?

Tua madre non ha mica comprato una nuova macchina?
Your mother didn’t buy that new car by any chance?

Try to use mica in your informal writings and conversation! If you have a question on its usage, post your example as a comment, and I’ll provide some feedback.

last updated: 11 May 2011

Below is a list of special idiomatic verbs, their meanings and some examples of usage:

• farcela (a + infinitive) = to be able to (synonymous with riuscire):

  Farcela takes avere in compound tenses. The past participle agrees with the pronoun, la:

  Ce la faccio ad andare a scuola oggi. Non sono ammalato piu.
  I am able to go to school today. I’m not sick anymore.

  Non ce la abbiamo fatta a giocare a tennis perche c’e stata una tempesta.
  We weren’t able to play tennis today because there was a storm.

• sentirsela (di + infinitive) = to have the courage to (synonymous with: avere il coraggio di)

  Sentirsela takes essere in compound tenses. The se in sentirsela is a reflexive pronoun and must agree with the subject. Remember that the past participle will always agree with the pronoun, la:

  Non se la sente di sposarsi.
  She doesn’t have the courage to get married.

  Loro non se la sono sentita di mangiare i sushi quando sono andati in Giappone.
  They didn’t have the courage to eat sushi in Japan.

• cavarsela = to find a solution, to overcome a difficult situation, to know how to do something well enough

  Cavarsela takes essere in compound tenses. The se in cavarsela is a reflexive pronoun and always agrees with the subject:

  Il problema di matematica era difficile, ma me la sono cavata.
  The math problem was difficult, but I found a solution.

• mettercela tutta = to do everything possible

  Mettercela tutta takes avere in compound tenses. The past participle agrees with the pronoun, la:

  I medici hanno provato a mettercela tutta, ma non potevano salvare mio figlio.
  The doctors tried to do everything possible, ma they were unable to save my son.

• prendersela = to offended by; to take offense at

  Prendersela takes essere in compound tenses. Remember that the past participle agrees with the pronoun, la. The se in prendersela is a reflexive pronoun and always agrees with the subject:

  Se la prende sempre facilmente.
  She is always offended easily.

  L’altra sera Maria se l’è presa molto per l’atteggiamento antipatico di suo marito.
  The other evening Maria was offended much by her husband’s unpleasant attitude.

• vedersela brutta = to find oneself in a dangerous situation

  Vedersela brutta takes essere in compound tenses. The past participle always agrees with the pronoun, la. The se is a reflexive pronoun and agrees with the subject:

  I soldati se la sono vista brutta durante la guerra.
  The soldiers found themselves in a dangerous situation during the war.

• passarsela bene/male: to find oneself in good/bad condition (synonymous with “stare bene/male”); to be well off, bad off (financially)

  Passarsela bene/male takes essere in compound tenses. The past participle always agrees with the pronoun, la. The se is a reflexive pronoun and agrees with the subject:

  Non me la passo bene dopo che ho studiato tutta la notte.
  I am not doing well after I studied all night.

  Me la passo bene dopo la mia vincità al lotto.
  I am doing well after my lottery win.