Italian · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 9 of 12
Humour and informal language
Ma dai, scherzo!
Joke and tease in informal Italian: verbs like farcela and prendersela, colloquial words, irony, and how to recognise register.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Use verbs like farcela, andarsene and prendersela
- Understand colloquial words that everyone uses
- Recognise irony and teasing
- Tell informal from neutral and formal language
Listen
In Livorno, Giada teases her friend Mattia about the dinner he cooked for his friends on Saturday. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Giada
Allora, chef, com'è andata sabato? Ho saputo che hai fatto il cacciucco per dieci persone.
So, chef, how did Saturday go? I heard you made cacciucco for ten people.
Mattia
Chi te l'ha detto? Non me ne parlare.
Who told you? Don't even mention it.
Giada
Dai, racconta! Sono curiosa.
Come on, tell me. I'm curious.
Mattia
Praticamente ho comprato un sacco di pesce, ho seguito la ricetta di mia nonna e… ho bruciato tutto.
Basically, I bought loads of fish, I followed my grandmother's recipe and… I burnt the lot.
Giada
Complimenti! Un vero chef.
Well done. A real chef.
Mattia
Ridi, ridi. Gli amici sono stati gentili: nessuno se l'è presa. Però due se ne sono andati subito dopo.
Go on, laugh. My friends were nice about it: nobody got upset. But two of them left straight afterwards.
Giada
Figurati! Saranno andati a mangiare una pizza.
I bet. They probably went off for a pizza.
Mattia
Probabile. Ma alla fine ce l'ho fatta: ho chiamato la pizzeria sotto casa e ce la siamo cavata con otto margherite.
Probably. But in the end I managed: I called the pizzeria downstairs, and we got by with eight margheritas.
Giada
Sei un genio! Scherzo, dai, non te la prendere. Il cacciucco è difficilissimo: anche mia madre ci mette tutto il giorno.
You're a genius. I'm joking, come on, don't take it the wrong way. Cacciucco is really hard: even my mother spends all day on it.
Mattia
Lo so. Ma mio fratello ce l'ha ancora con me: per colpa mia ha cenato a mezzanotte.
I know. But my brother's still cross with me: because of me he had dinner at midnight.
Giada
Smettila di pensarci. La prossima volta il cacciucco lo facciamo insieme, e se va male, ce ne andiamo tutti in pizzeria.
Stop thinking about it. Next time we'll make the cacciucco together, and if it goes wrong, we'll all go off to the pizzeria.
Mattia
Affare fatto. Ma tutta la roba la compri tu, eh: dopo sabato sono al verde.
Deal. But you're buying all the stuff, OK? After Saturday I'm broke.
Understand
Farcela, andarsene, prendersela
Some very common verbs come with one or two fixed pronouns, and their meaning changes: is + + , and it means “to manage, to make it”. Only the verb changes with the person, and stays the same: … In the passato prossimo, the participle agrees with : (I managed).
Verbs with or take (the ones without , like and , take ): (I'm leaving), (he left), (you got upset), (we got by). With a imperative, the pronouns go at the end: (Go away!), (Stop it!). In the negative they usually go before: (you'll also hear ).
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to manage, to make it | ||
| to leave, to go away | ||
| to get upset, to take offence | ||
| to get by, to cope | ||
| to stop it | ||
| to be cross with someone |
Colloquial words and irony
Among friends, Italians use colloquial words that everyone understands: (loads of), (stuff), or (cool), (Of course! / Don't mention it!). means “Come off it!” These are fine with friends, but not in a meeting or an email.
Irony often uses praise to mean the opposite: , , or can mean the reverse, depending on the tone. To show you're joking, add (I'm joking) or .
| Informal | Neutral |
|---|---|
| , | |
Recognising register
The same idea can be said in an informal, a neutral or a formal way. At B2, it's as important to recognise the register as it is to use it. Informal Italian uses , colloquial words, spoken short forms and verbs like . Formal Italian uses , the conditional and longer, more precise words.
When in doubt, stay neutral: nobody will mind if you sound a little too polite.
| Informal | Neutral | Formal |
|---|---|---|
More in the grammar: Pronominal verbs: farcela, andarsene, prendersela
New words
- il cacciuccocacciucco (Livorno fish stew)
- Non me ne parlare.Don't even mention it. (about something bad)
- un sacco diloads of, a lot of (informal)
- il pescefish
- bruciareto burn
- ridereto laugh · participle:
- prenderselato get upset, to take offence · = he / she got upset
- andarseneto leave, to go away · = they left
- Figurati!Of course! / Just imagine! / Don't mention it!
- farcelato manage, to make it · = I managed
- cavarselato get by, to cope · = we got by
- scherzareto joke · = I'm joking!
- avercela conto be cross with, to have it in for · = he's cross with me
- smetterlato stop it · = Stop it!
Practise
1.Giada says after hearing that Mattia burnt everything. What is she doing?
2.Complete with in the passato prossimo (io).
In the end I managed: I found another job.
3.Complete with in the passato prossimo (loro).
Two friends left straight after dinner.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'm joking, come on, don't take it the wrong way.
5.Which sentence is informal?
6.Match the Italian with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Ce l'ho fatta!
I did it! / I made it!
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.