Italian Idioms

Essential Day-to-Day Idioms to Instantly Sound More Fluent and Speak with Confidence

lingoXpress

• Publisher: lingoXpress
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781991325020
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Italian Language
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Learn to speak Italian like a pro with Italian Idioms: Essential Day-to-Day Idioms to Instantly Sound More Fluent and Speak with Confidence.

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to sound more natural when speaking Italian. It's packed with common idioms used in everyday conversations, making it easier to understand Italians and express yourself like a native.

Each idiom comes with a simple explanation, there are also exercises and examples to show you how to use it.Whether you're learning Italian for fun, travel, or work, this book will boost your confidence and fluency.

Inside, you'll find:

Useful idioms explained in plain English.

Practice exercises to help you learn faster and memorize the idioms.

Easy examples so you can start using the idioms in real-life situations.

Get your copy today and start sounding more fluent in Italian right away!

Table of contents

• lingoXpress
• Acqua in bocca Literal: Water in the mouth. Meaning: Keep quiet, don’t tell anyone.
• Avere le mani in pasta Literal: To have your hands in the dough. Meaning: To be involved in something.
• In bocca al lupo Literal: In the wolf's mouth. Meaning: Good luck! (Used before something challenging.)
• Cascare dalle nuvole Literal: To fall from the clouds. Meaning: To be completely surprised.
• Non vedere l'ora Literal: Not to see the hour. Meaning: To be eager or impatient.
• Essere al verde Literal: To be at the green. Meaning: To be broke.
• Piove sul bagnato Literal: It rains on the wet. Meaning: Bad luck for someone already having trouble.
• Essere in gamba Literal: To be on the leg. Meaning: To be clever or capable.
• Mettere il carro davanti ai buoi Literal: To put the cart before the oxen. Meaning: To do things in the wrong order.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Piove sul bagnato 2.Cascare dalle nuvole 3.In bocca al lupo 4.Essere al verde 5.Acqua in bocca Meanings 1.To be completely surprised 2.Bad luck for someone already having trouble 3.To be broke 4.Keep quiet, don’t tell anyone 5.Good luck!
• Answers 1.Piove sul bagnato Bad luck for someone already having trouble 2.Cascare dalle nuvole To be completely surprised 3.Essere al verde To be broke 4.Acqua in bocca Keep quiet, don’t tell anyone 5.In bocca al lupo Good luck!
• Writing Exercise Try to remember at least 3 idioms you learned! Write them down along with their translations as a way of memorizing them.
• Dare del filo da torcere Literal: To give thread to twist. Meaning: To give someone a hard time.
• Chi dorme non piglia pesci Literal: He who sleeps doesn’t catch fish. Meaning: You can’t succeed if you don’t try.
• Avere il pollice verde Literal: To have a green thumb. Meaning: To be good at gardening.
• Cercare il pelo nell'uovo Literal: To look for the hair in the egg. Meaning: To look for tiny faults.
• Fare di tutta l'erba un fascio Literal: To make a bundle of all the grass. Meaning: To generalize everything.
• Essere un pesce fuor d'acqua Literal: To be a fish out of water. Meaning: To feel uncomfortable or out of place.
• L'abito non fa il monaco Literal: The habit doesn’t make the monk. Meaning: Appearances can be deceiving.
• Far colpo Literal: To make a blow. Meaning: To impress someone.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Dare del filo da torcere 2.Far colpo 3.Chi dorme non piglia pesci 4.L'abito non fa il monaco 5.Cercare il pelo nell'uovo Meanings 1.Appearances can be deceiving 2.To impress someone 3.To look for tiny faults 4.You can’t succeed if you don’t try 5.To give someone a hard time
• Answers 1.Dare del filo da torcere To give someone a hard time 2.Chi dorme non piglia pesci You can’t succeed if you don’t try 3.Cercare il pelo nell'uovo To look for tiny faults. 4.L'abito non fa il monaco Appearances can be deceiving 5.Far colpo To impress someone
• Accontentarsi di poco Literal: To be satisfied with little. Meaning: To settle for less.
• Essere in alto mare Literal: To be in the open sea. Meaning: To be far from a solution.
• Prendere due piccioni con una fava Literal: To catch two pigeons with one bean. Meaning: To kill two birds with one stone.
• Avere la testa fra le nuvole Literal: To have your head in the clouds. Meaning: To be distracted or daydreaming.
• Fare il diavolo a quattro Literal: To make the devil with four. Meaning: To create a big commotion.
• Mangiare la foglia Literal: To eat the leaf. Meaning: To understand something (usually a trick or deception).
• Né carne né pesce Literal: Neither meat nor fish. Meaning: Something that is neither one thing nor the other, ambiguous.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Avere la testa fra le nuvole 2.Né carne né pesce 3.Accontentarsi di poco 4.Prendere due piccioni con una fava 5.Essere in alto mare Meanings 1.Something that is neither one thing nor the other, ambiguous 2.To be distracted or daydreaming 3.To kill two birds with one stone 4.To be far from a solution 5.To settle for less
• Answers 1.Né carne né pesce Something that is neither one thing nor the other, ambiguous 2.Avere la testa fra le nuvole To be distracted or daydreaming 3.Prendere due piccioni con una fava To kill two birds with one stone 4.Essere in alto mare To be far from a solution 5.Accontentarsi di poco To settle for less
• Mettere il dito nella piaga Literal: To put your finger in the wound. Meaning: To hit a sensitive spot.
• Mordere il freno Literal: To bite the brake. Meaning: To hold back, to stop oneself.
• Tirare le cuoia Literal: To pull the hides. Meaning: To die.
• Non avere peli sulla lingua Literal: To not have hairs on your tongue. Meaning: To speak bluntly, with no filters.
• Complete the Word Below are four idioms with one missing word. Fill in the blank with the correct word to complete the idiom. 1.______ il dito nella piaga 2.______ di poco 3.L'abito non fa il ______ 4.Avere ______ ______ fra le nuvole
• Answers 1.Mettere il dito nella piaga 2.Accontentarsi di poco 3.L'abito non fa il monaco 4.Avere la testa fra le nuvole
• Prendere la palla al balzo Literal: To take the ball at the bounce. Meaning: To seize an opportunity.
• Andare a gonfie vele Literal: To go with full sails. Meaning: To go smoothly, to succeed.
• Stare con le mani in mano Literal: To sit with your hands in your hands. Meaning: To do nothing, be idle.
• Gettare la spugna Literal: To throw in the sponge. Meaning: To give up, surrender.
• Chi la fa l'aspetti Literal: He who does it, expects it. Meaning: What goes around comes around.
• Avere il cuore in gola Literal: To have your heart in your throat. Meaning: To be scared or anxious.
• Fare una figura barbina Literal: To make a barbarian figure. Meaning: To make a fool of yourself.
• Cercare di fare il passo più lungo della gamba Literal: To try to make a step longer than your leg. Meaning: To overreach, to attempt more than you can handle.
• Ridere a crepapelle Literal: To laugh until your ribs crack. Meaning: To laugh heartily.
• Tirare acqua al proprio mulino Literal: To draw water to your own mill. Meaning: To act in your own interest.
• Avere la coda di paglia Literal: To have a straw tail. Meaning: To be sensitive to criticism.
• Essere una mano santa Literal: To be a holy hand. Meaning: To be extremely helpful or lucky.
• Fare la fine del topo Literal: To make the end of the mouse. Meaning: To meet a bad fate.
• Tirare su il morale Literal: To lift up the morale. Meaning: To cheer someone up.
• Avere il colpo in canna Literal: To have the shot in the barrel. Meaning: To have a trick or plan ready.
• Essere il cane da guardia Literal: To be the guard dog. Meaning: To be vigilant or watchful.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Non avere peli sulla lingua 2.Prendere due piccioni con una fava 3.Tirare le cuoia 4.Mettere il dito nella piaga 5.Mordere il freno Meanings 1.To kill two birds with one stone 2.To speak bluntly, with no filters 3.To die 4.To hold back, to stop oneself 5.To hit a sensitive spot
• Answers 1.Mettere il dito nella piaga To hit a sensitive spot 2.Mordere il freno To hold back, to stop oneself 3.Tirare le cuoia To die 4.Non avere peli sulla lingua To speak bluntly, with no filters 5.Prendere due piccioni con una fava To kill two birds with one stone
• Chi trova un amico trova un tesoro Literal: He who finds a friend, finds a treasure. Meaning: A good friend is priceless.
• Mettici una pietra sopra Literal: Put a stone over it. Meaning: Let it go, move on.
• Non è il caso Literal: It’s not the case. Meaning: It’s not appropriate or not the right time.
• Fare un buco nell'acqua Literal: To make a hole in the water. Meaning: To fail, to not achieve anything.
• Non fare il passo più lungo della gamba Literal: Don’t take a step longer than your leg. Meaning: Don’t overreach.
• Rimanere con l'amaro in bocca Literal: To stay with the bitter in your mouth. Meaning: To be disappointed.
• Cielo in una stanza Literal: Sky in a room. Meaning: To be in a very confined or small space.
• Farsi in quattro Literal: To make yourself in four. Meaning: To work hard, to bend over backwards.
• Non c'è due senza tre Literal: There’s no two without three. Meaning: Bad or good things tend to come in threes.
• Se non è zuppa è pan bagnato Literal: If it’s not soup, it’s wet bread. Meaning: It’s all the same, no big difference.
• Essere al settimo cielo Literal: To be in the seventh heaven. Meaning: To be extremely happy.
• Farsi il segno della croce Literal: To make the sign of the cross. Meaning: To react nervously or fearfully.
• L'araba fenice Literal: The phoenix. Meaning: Something or someone rare or mythical.
• Avere un asso nella manica Literal: To have an ace up the sleeve. Meaning: To have a hidden advantage.
• Avere la testa dura Literal: To have a hard head. Meaning: To be stubborn.
• Fare una passeggiata Literal: To take a walk. Meaning: To do something easily.
• Cambiare aria Literal: To change air. Meaning: To change environment or situation.
• Essere un osso duro Literal: To be a tough bone. Meaning: To be tough to deal with.
• Essere come il cacio sui maccheroni Literal: To be like cheese on macaroni. Meaning: To be perfect together.
• Acchiappare con le mani Literal: To catch with your hands. Meaning: To make a mistake by being too quick.
• Non è il mio mestiere Literal: It’s not my profession. Meaning: It’s not my thing or expertise.
• Un colpo di fulmine Literal: A lightning strike. Meaning: Love at first sight.
• Essere in un mare di guai Literal: To be in a sea of trouble. Meaning: To be in a difficult situation.
• Essere sulla buona strada Literal: To be on the right road. Meaning: To be on the right track.
• Parlare a vanvera Literal: To speak thoughtlessly. Meaning: To speak without thinking.
• Mettere la mano sul fuoco Literal: To put your hand on the fire. Meaning: To be very sure of something.
• Scoprire l'acqua calda Literal: To discover hot water. Meaning: To state something obvious.
• Writing Exercise Try to remember at least 10 idioms you learned! Write them down as a way of memorizing them.
• Essere come il gatto e la volpe Literal: To be like the cat and the fox. Meaning: To be scheming and tricky.
• Farsi un mazzo tanto Literal: To make a big bunch. Meaning: To work really hard.
• Stare in bilico Literal: To be in balance. Meaning: To be in a risky or uncertain situation.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Scoprire l'acqua calda 2.Avere un asso nella manica 3.Essere come il cacio sui maccheroni 4.Essere un osso duro 5.L'araba fenice Meanings 1.To state something obvious 2.To be perfect together 3.To be tough to deal with 4.To have a hidden advantage 5.Something or someone rare or mythical
• Answers 1.Scoprire l'acqua calda To state something obvious 2.Avere un asso nella manica To have a hidden advantage 3.Essere come il cacio sui maccheroni To be perfect together 4.Essere un osso duro To be tough to deal with 5.L'araba fenice Something or someone rare or mythical
• Complete the Word Below are four idioms with one missing word. Fill in the blank with the correct word to complete the idiom. 1.Mettere la mano sul ______ 2.Essere sulla ______ strada 3.Acchiappare ______ con le mani 4.Farsi il ______ della croce
• Answers 1.Mettere la mano sul fuoco 2.Essere sulla buona strada 3.Acchiappare con le mani 4.Farsi il segno della croce
• Avere la testa fra le nuvole Literal: To have your head in the clouds. Meaning: To be daydreaming or distracted.
• Fare una bufala Literal: To make a buffalo. Meaning: To make a big lie.
• Essere una palla al piede Literal: To be a ball and chain. Meaning: To be a hindrance.
• Essere un pesce d'aprile Literal: To be an April fish. Meaning: To be the victim of a prank.
• Essere una bocca da fuoco Literal: To be a firemouth. Meaning: To speak aggressively.
• Sognare ad occhi aperti Literal: To dream with open eyes. Meaning: To daydream.
• Chi va piano va sano e va lontano Literal: He who goes slow goes safe and goes far. Meaning: Slow and steady wins the race.
• Non dire gatto se non l'hai nel sacco Literal: Don’t say cat until you’ve got it in the bag. Meaning: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
• Non c'è niente di nuovo sotto il sole Literal: There’s nothing new under the sun. Meaning: Everything has been done before.
• Fare una figura di merda Literal: Make yourself look like shit. Meaning: To embarrass yourself.
• Chi fa da sé fa per tre Literal: He who does it by himself does it for three. Meaning: To be self-reliant is efficient.
• Tagliare la testa al toro Literal: To cut off the bull's head. Meaning: To make a decisive decision.
• Rimanere in attesa Literal: To remain in waiting. Meaning: To wait for something.
• Essere un tipo tosto Literal: To be a tough type. Meaning: To be tough.
• Chi dorme non piglia pesci Literal: He who sleeps doesn’t catch fish. Meaning: You snooze, you lose.
• Avere la luna storta Literal: To have the crooked moon. Meaning: To be in a bad mood.
• Complete the Word Below are four idioms with one missing word. Fill in the blank with the correct word to complete the idiom. 1.Chi va ______ va sano e va ______ 2.______ una palla al piede 3.Essere una ______ da fuoco 4.______ la testa fra le nuvole
• Answers 1.Chi va piano va sano e va lontano 2.Essere una palla al piede 3.Essere una bocca da fuoco 4.Avere la testa fra le nuvole