Italian Tip #4: Books lie to you
Every cluster of houses in Italy has certain dialect phrases that are all their own, but there are some defining characteristics that are nearly universal in the region of Reggio Emilia. Upon arriving in the land of tortelli and salame, you will soon discover that no Italian speaks like they tell you they do in the language books.
Here, I have collected a list of some of the more huh moments:
“Te ne intendi di computer?” This phrase iterally means, “Do you intend of computer?” which to an English speaker means absolutely nothing. Do I intend to do what with my computer? In Italian, this phrase is the equivalent of, “Sai di computer?” or, “Do you know how to use a computer?”
Don’t worry, that
In this region, a girl or woman’s name is almost always prefixed with “la.” For instance, “la Sara,” “la Maria,” “la Zoe.” “La” in this instance is short for the very formal title of “La signorina” and has stuck around from the days when you spoke to your father in the 3rd person plural.
“C’ho voglia di mangiare!” What the hell is “c’ho”?! The “c” doesn’t stand for anything, it’s added because it’s more fun to say.
“Qual buon vento!?”