I recently read an article written by an English gentleman who works for a company dealing in Italian Real Estate. He congenially allowed me to share his entertaining view on Anglo Italian colloquialisms with my readers. I hope you enjoy his article as much as I did.
Brits don’t do other languages very well – which perhaps explains why we spent centuries making the rest of the world speak ours.
As a 40-something-year-old Englishman, the four years I’ve spent trying to master Italian haven’t been the easiest. At times I’ve half-wished that a couple of hundred years ago we stopped off in Italy to colonise that too.
Low points that still make me shudder? Confusing ho scoperto (“I discovered”) with ho scopato (“I ******”). It was only our second meeting – but I hope my future mom-in-law guessed what I was trying to say. Don’t even get me started on the time I tried to ask a waitress in Forte dei Marmi about leaving la mancia (the tip)…but instead asked her what to do about la minchia (a crude term for penis).
So with all I’ve gone through to learn the world’s most romantic language, it’s a slap in the face to see half of Italy now hell-bent on replacing it with an ugly hotch-potch of Italian and English.
Looking for somewhere to stay on that vacation to Venice? If gli hotel are fully booked, lo staff might suggest un bed and breakfast. Staying in town for longer? Try un loft with un big open-space or un residence. In between sightseeing, you can fare lo shopping at un shopping centre nearby – full of i fashion outlet and i discount shop.
Among the worst offenders are the media – with le news that i VIP and le showgirl have been using il private jet di Silvio Berlusconi to attend i party at his mansion – where the Italian Prime Minister allegedly slept with una sexy escort.
It’s not the first time he’s made un gaffe and the scandal has left il feeling between il tycoon and his voters at an all-time low. No wonder he’s complaining about lo stress and il suo privacy.
Following il summit di G8 in Italy – attended by altri leader such as Barack Obama and le first ladies – Berlusconi has called un meeting of his cabinet to tie up un nuovo budget. But a newspaper has un gran scoop – during un briefing, Berlusconi blamed Il Ministro del Welfare for the budget hitting un record.
Some trade unionists have gathered outside to hurl gli slogan and to put uno stop to his proposals. But Berlusconi’s more concerned about what they think in il settore dei business. That and un nuovo poll showing most Italians think his fiscal plans will be un flop.
Or perhaps you’re more interested in soccer? La Gazzetta dello Sport has a report on il derby at il weekend between i due club di Milan, Inter and AC Milan. I fans couldn’t buy i ticket as il match era sold-out. David Beckham was il matchwinner for AC Milan a goal from un corner. It led to scuffles among gli hooligan, which gli steward soon sorted out. Leonardo, il mister di AC Milan, was simply relieved to have won.
Even worse are the beauty and gossip magazines, where you learn Madonna non รจ piu single and now has un nuovo boyfriend. She and il suo partner have been holidaying in un resort. Or read about Victoria Beckham – reputed to be una snob – wolfing down un snack while il suo bodyguard eats un sandwich.
A few pages on, una showgirl from un reality show is sipping i cocktail in un bar. She later enjoyed a spot of il clubbing before going home with un pop star from un boyband.
But is it really that difficult to say albergo instead of hotel, va bene, not OK, spuntino rather than snack?
Last year the Dante Alighieri Society began a campaign to limit the use of English in Italian. They’ve got their work cut out, now that Anglo-Italiano is il nuovo trend…
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Ainsley Okoro works for the property for sale in Italy website Homes and Villas Abroad.com and specialises in Calabria property and Tuscany property.
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