Not true family unit members try terms one to share an identical physical appearance in two languages but possess collection of significance. Each other English and you may Italian harbour numerous such as for example deceiving terms that will be browsing connect your off guard will eventually. However, however some of those linguistic lookalikes may cause mild misunderstandings, anybody else may cause instead embarrassing and you can embarrassing errors!
It actually was raining much when we last went along to Rome and i also are trying to chat with the latest waiter on the eatery and you may state just how frizzy my personal locks becomes whether it rainfall. We told her one to my personal locks is “frizzante” – right after which immediately realized I simply informed her my personal locks are bubbly. Both of us chuckled so hard.
I’m American, hitched so you can a female away from Catania. Many years ago we stayed with my wife’s parents in Catania. I attempted to explain to my from inside the-laws and regulations the restaurants that they consumed when you look at the Sicily was much fresher than the restaurants i ate in the us. I desired to say that Us americans put too many additives from inside the their food and reported that People in america lay numerous “preservativi” within food (convinced it required additives). I didn’t realize that preservativi designed condoms.
Be mindful brand new Love vocabulary booby-trap
If you find yourself experienced in multiple Love dialects, it can be appealing to combine them right up unwittingly, otherwise tough, slide prey so you can false loved ones, resulting in potentially shameful things. (Such as, complicated brand new Italian phrase ‘imbarazzato‘ definition ‘ashamed,’ towards Spanish word ‘embarazado,’ for example ‘expecting,’ is one of the most notorious instances!)
On their vacation to Mexico when you look at the 1949, my personal mommy, thought Italian and you can Language have been comparable dialects, asked for “pane scam il burro“. Interpretation? Money having donkey. The brand new waiter are extremely amused. My mother are mortified.
I commonly rating my personal Foreign language confusing that have Italian, while we were in the Italy a few years ago, we had been at a restaurant and you can in place of saying “Grazie” We told you “Gracias”!
I once ran to your a beneficial bakery store and you can said gatto, pointing towards window. The shop keeper ran on straight back of your own bakery and showed up which have a brush. We meant gateau! She thought there is certainly a cat from the screen screen. I happened to be rapidly ushered from the shop!
In fact, those used to an Italian dialect otherwise words from Italy may accidently think that particular terms are identical in both languages. Yet not, so it presumption may cause some fairly amusing things because might be not the case!
The existing Italian-American slang in western Pa into the restroom otherwise bathroom try “bacouse” (from the Anxiety era Western name “backhouse” for a patio toilet.” ) We merely learned later, once i utilized the beautiful mexico girls phrase inside the Italy, and you can required the location away from a washroom, and individuals was indeed clueless. Stay away from old school Italian dialect/jargon you read when increasing up. It will clobber you.
Essere versus. Avere vs. Fare
Verbs particularly “essere” (is), “avere” (for), and you can “fare” (doing/make), and others, you should never have head you to-to-you to definitely correspondences with the English competitors, just in case used improperly, may cause particular most funny problems.
At this stage I might already been learning Italian for only a number of days. I’d made a good friend and then he understood precisely the constraints out of my Italian, that it has been even more serious. Past summer discover a great heatwave in the united kingdom and it had doing 40° (and that we’re just not accustomed) plus in English I would merely state ‘I am too hot’. We translated which in to Italian since the sono calda and you can are pleased with me personally to own remembering to switch caldo to help you calda! My personal (men heterosexual) buddy firstly checked basically got a temperature (frequently which is a unique meaning) right after which gently explained that we had merely told your which i was also aroused. The real Italian for “I’m sizzling hot/warm” is actually Ho caldo!