Becoming Italian Word by Word

Does Your Computer Speak the Italian Language?

La Bella Lingua in Linea (Online)

The first time I visited an internet café in Rome, I quickly learned that, despite its English name, an Italian computer—whether computer da tavolo (desk-top) or computer portatile (lap-top)—speaks Italian.

When I turned on (accendere) il computer, it asked for my nome utente (user name). 
“How do I connect (connettersi) to the Internet?” I asked the manager (who spoke two languages: Italian and Chinese).  After showing me which keys to click (cliccare), he started to dictate a website address: “Vuvuvu.punto.” I typed “vvv.” before realizing that was how Italians say www.

When I tried to check e-mail (controllare la posta), I found myself immersed in a vocabulary lesson in Italian computerese (computer jargon), including:

posta in arrivo -- inbox


rubrica -- address book


aiuto –- help 


stampa -- print


chiudi -- close


rispondi -- reply


invia –- send 


invia allegato –- send attachment


inoltra –- forward


elimina, cancella -- delete


salva –- save


cestino -- trash


cartella –- folder


sposta -- move to

svuota la cartella –- empty folder


mail spazzatura or, more politely, posta indesiderata –- spam

esci -- log out

Things got more complicated when I tried to open or close a document (aprire/chiudere il documento), compose a new message (nuovo messaggio) or simply find the essential @ key (called chiocciola for the snail it resembles). With a bit of doing, I managed to download (scaricare) some stuff and compress (zippare) a file.

I toyed with the idea of creating an Italian pseudonimo (alias) and visiting a stanza della chat (chat room) or forum (discussion board). Instead I went shopping for Italian DVDs and placed some of my choices in a functional carrello (shopping cart) and others in a far more evocative pozzo dei desideri (wishing well).

Then the moment came when I uttered the words I’d hoped never to use: “Il mio computer non funziona.” (My computer isn’t working). “È bloccato?” (Is it frozen?) the manager asked. “È morto!” (It’s dead!) I replied, panicked that all my information was lost (perso), damaged (danneggiato) or deleted (eliminato). He expertly pressed a series of keys and rebooted (riavviare).

“È risuscitato!“ I exclaimed. “It’s come back to life!”

Words and Expressions

Most computer terms in Italian are borrowings from English. Here are some of the more obvious you'll need when talking about computers in Italian.

Dov’è il computer? -- Where is the computer?

Avete un sito web? -- Do you have a website?

internet -- internet

l'e-mail -- email

il mouse --mouse

You can hear these phrases on the Living Language blog.

The Italian Language at a Coffee Bar

La Bella Lingua al Bar 

The author of today's guest blog is an expert in Italian coffee and cafés:  Joe Wolff, author of three delightful guides to both: Café Life Venice, Café Life Rome and Café Life Florence.

The Italians are good at some things: beautiful clothes, beautiful woman, really good coffee, and efficient bars. (They’re terrible at plumbing.) The word caffé refers to both coffee and the place you drink it. It can also be synonymous with bar (an English word borrowed by the Italians.)

An Italian never goes to a bar in Italy and asks for an espresso. Instead it’s “un caffé, per favore.” This is one shot of espresso in a tiny cup, usually corto (short), with a lovely head of light brown crema (or schiuma). Other options include:

*caffè Americano -- weaker, American-style coffee  served in a large cup

*caffè corretto -- coffee "corrected" with a shot of liquor

*caffè doppio -- double espresso

*caffè freddo -- iced coffee

*caffè latte -- hot milk mixed with coffee 

*caffè  lungo –- a long coffee with more water

*caffè macchiato -- espresso "spotted" with a little steamed milk 

*caffè ristretto -- espresso with less water

*cappuccino -- espresso infused with steamed milk, drunk  only in the morning

The Romani usually slam down their caffé standing at the counter (the speed is legendary, 30-90 seconds). There’s a story about a famous Roman politician who comes into a bar near his office at the same time every day. When the barista sees him approach, he draws the caffé. The politician enters ceremoniously with his right hand in his pocket and the barista slides the cup to his left side. One gulp. He leaves.

The Fiorentini, on the other hand, say you need three things for a good caffé: it has to be pagato, caldo e berlo seduto (paid for, hot, and enjoyed while seated). The Veneziani skip coffee and drink wine -- even in the morning.

Where did the words coffee, café, or caffé originate? This is a little cloudy. According to one coffee legend, an Arab shepherd in Ethiopia, tending his goats, was the first person to discover coffee. Actually, the goats were first. During the night, he noticed they acted strangely, jumping and leaping around—even the older ones. Upon investigation, he saw they had been eating the red berries of a local shrub. He tried the berries himself, and the rest is coffee history.

The Arabs called the drink qahwah, classic Arabic suggesting something stimulating and exciting. The Turks transformed this to quahve—and around 1450 the first coffee shops opened in Constantinople. Another theory says that the word simply came from the province in Ethiopia where the coffee tree was first discovered—Kaffa.

Venetian traders brought coffee beans to Euorpe in the early 1600s, and quahve evolved into coffee and caffé.

When going into an Italian bar, you should definitely ask for un caffé (not espresso) -- as a tourist, it will give you maximum cool. 

Allora, andiamo al bar a prendere un caffé. (Well then, let’s go to a bar and get a coffee.)

Words and Expressions:

Here are some phrases you'll need in any coffee bar:

(un) caffè latte -- coffee with milk

(la) tazza --  cup

(il) cucchiaio -- spoon

(lo) zucchero-- sugar

dolce -- sweet

You can hear these phrases on the Living Language blog.

The Italian Language Hits the Road

The Italian Language on the Road 

La Bella Lingua sulla Strada 

“Why don’t people stop?” I asked a taxi driver in Naples as we saw car after car passare col rosso (run a red light). He shrugged his shoulders and explained that in Italy traffic lights are “optional.” So, it seems, are designated lanes, speed limits, and parking under signs declaring that it’s forbidden (divieto di sosta). 

Cruising around in a car (fare un giro in macchina) is a great way to see the Italian countryside, but the more Italian car talk that you know before mettere in moto (starting the engine). the better your odds of getting to your destinations safely. 

You can find a place to noleggiare una macchina (rent a car) at airports or in most large towns and cities. You will want to find out quanto costa (how much it costs) and if you have to pay a supplemento per il chilometraggio (mileage supplement) or dare una cauzione (give a deposit). 

If you don’t know how to drive a manual transmission, Italy is not the place to learn. Request una macchina con il cambio automatico (an automatic). For a premium, you can ask for a cabriolet or a decapottabile (convertible), a gippone (SUV), or a fuoristrada or quattro per quattro (offroad or 4 by 4 vehicle). Just make sure you don’t get stuck with a carcassa (carcass), a macinino (grinder for coffee or pepper), or a carretta (cart) -- all slang for an old jalopy or a clunker. 

Perhaps because speeding is so common, Italian has a lot of ways to describe fast driving: avere il piede pesante (have a heavy foot); correre (run or speed); andare come una scheggia (go like a piece of scrapnel); andare a tutto gas, a tutta birra, or a tavoletta (go full-throttle); schiacciare, premere, or affondare il piede sull’acceleratore (put the pedal to the metal); sgommare (burn rubber); and andare sparato (shoot along). But sooner or later even a pilota automobilistico (race car driver) has to arrestarsi con uno stridio di gomme (screech to a halt). 

If you get stuck behind a lumaca (snail) or an autista della domenica (Sunday or slow driver), resist the temptation to effettuare un sorpasso azzardato (make a daring pass). Watch out for a pirata della strada (road hog) who tries to tagliare la strada (cut the road, or cut you off). If you find yourself in una coda interminabile (bumper-to-bumper traffic), you may want to fare l’inversione a U (make a U turn) and find an alternate route. 

Above all you want to avoid an incidente stradale (car accident), whether it’s uno schianto in autostrada (crash on the highway), un tamponamento a catena (a chain crash or pileup) or un tamponamento (a fender bender). You certainly don’t want to fracassare (wreck) or sfasciare/distruggere la macchina (total one’s car) or end up with il colpo della strega (the whip of the witch) -- whiplash. 

If you are going to mettersi al volante (get behind the wheel) in Italy, my advice is, “Guida piano!” (Drive slowly!) As the saying goes, “Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano.” He who goes slowly goes sound (as in safe and...) and goes far. 

Words and Expressions 

Here are some useful phrases for help getting from point A to point B. 

Mi scusi, dov’è...?  -- Excuse me, where is ...? 

Si va diritto.  -- Go straight ahead. 

Si gira a destra. -- Turn right. 

Si gira a sinistra. -- Turn left. 

la strada -- street, road

 l’incrocio -- intersection 

 You can hear these phrases on the Living Language blog.: