I just realized that today is both Love Story Lunedì AND May 7th which means I had to make the very heart-wrenching choice between sharing a love story and sharing my #DolceVitaBloggers contribution! Just kidding, I came up with a brilliant compromise that incorporates some of the Monday romance you're all used to and this month's linkup topic which was: FIVE ITALIAN WORDS OR PHRASES (and why you love them). Italian has always been considered the language of romance, and for good reason, the way it rolls off the lips of a sexy Italian is second to none. Sorry if this is TMI but I find Italian to be a HUGE TURN ON. Before studying the language, I might have said that the Italian accent in English was hot but now I just want to hear the language in all its full glory. Sometimes I just lie in dark and listen to Italian songs and just get completely lost in the words. Nerd alert. You know what is also extremely sexy? THE CONGIUNTIVO. Oh man, when I hear an Italian boy use the congiuntivo come se FOSSE niente, my pants just dissolve. I mean, technically there's no reason why Italians shouldn't be using the congiuntivo correctly but I think I love it because it's such a hard concept for English-speakers to grasp. Getting back on topic, here's FIVE romantic, sexy phrases in Italian that I just adore the socks off:
So now you're probably wondering what they mean and why I chose them so here we go:
1. TOGLIMI IL FIATO: this is the Italian for take my breath away. This came into mind because the play on words with the verb "togliere" is often "sfruttato" (taken advantage of) in song lyrics like in this song by Italian rapper Raige:
Volevo toglierti il fiato prima di toglierti l'abito.
(I wanted to take your breath away before taking off your dress)
Not very melodic or poetic in English yet it's very pretty in Italian right?
2. TI VOGLIO BENE: there's no great way to translate this in English, we just don't have it. When my then-boyfriend first said it to me (it's often abbreviated by young people as TVB), I had to Google it. It literally translates to "I want you well", in the sense, I want good things for you or I want all the best for you. It's often used as the middle step between mi piaci (I like you) and ti amo (I love you) in romantic relationships. But part of its beauty is that it is the phrase of choice between friends and also relatives. While in English, we fucking LOVE everything, even inanimate objects and delicious things like gelato, Italians reserves love for VERY specific contexts. I LOVE this (ahah, catch the irony folks) about Italian. It's true, love is a very unique sentiment that should be revered and not thrown around like in it is in English.
For more explanation on this topic, check out this article from La Voce di New York: Ti amo, no… ti voglio bene. Differenze linguistiche e culturali
3. SEI UNO SCHIANTO: a schianto is literally a crash, usually a car crash but is used figuratively to say that someone is super hot. So if your Italian date picks you up and you're dressed to kill, he might tell you "sei uno schianto". It's similar to how we say "you're a knockout" in English.
4. MI FAI IMPAZZIRE: it's "you're driving me crazy/wild" and is used in the same contexts as in English. It can be positive or negative, like when someone is driving you nuts with their behaviour or when someone is really turning you on, making you crazy, driving you wild. Here's a great example of the latter use from The Vampire Diaries, pay attention to what Damon says to Elena: starti vicino mi fa impazzire.
5. PER SEMPRE: well this is an easy one, it means FOREVER and I love it because we all want something that lasts per sempre. (that's a short clip from The Notebook in Italian, the EPIC speech by Noah in front of the car and a great context example for the use of per sempre).
Well friends, that's it, that's all for this month of #DolceVitaBloggers. Please leave a comment and then go and check out the other amazing posts. Please feel free to download the INSTASTORY TEMPLATE that we made for this and tag myself, Kristie, and Kelly (scroll down).
This is part of the May #DolceVitaBloggers Linkup.
Past #DolceVitaBlogger Link-Ups:
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #5 April 2018 - The Perfect Day in Italy
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #4 March 2018 - International Women's Day
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #3 February 2018 - A Love Letter to Italy
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #2 January 2018 - Favourite Italian City
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #1 December 2017 - 'The Italian Connection
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these ones:
Immunity to Accent Attractiveness: Can the Italian Accent Stop Being Sexy?
The English Stare and Getting "Englished" Living Abroad and How To Deal
What I'm Really Thinking While Speaking Italian as a Second Language
Taking Risks in Language Learning
Language Burnout
The Gift of Language: Italian and Beyond
The Neverending Story of Learning Italian
Living in Italy, Speaking in English
Parli Italiano?
How to Keep Learning Italian in Italy
INSTASTORY TEMPLATES:
1. TOGLIMI IL FIATO: this is the Italian for take my breath away. This came into mind because the play on words with the verb "togliere" is often "sfruttato" (taken advantage of) in song lyrics like in this song by Italian rapper Raige:
Volevo toglierti il fiato prima di toglierti l'abito.
(I wanted to take your breath away before taking off your dress)
Not very melodic or poetic in English yet it's very pretty in Italian right?
2. TI VOGLIO BENE: there's no great way to translate this in English, we just don't have it. When my then-boyfriend first said it to me (it's often abbreviated by young people as TVB), I had to Google it. It literally translates to "I want you well", in the sense, I want good things for you or I want all the best for you. It's often used as the middle step between mi piaci (I like you) and ti amo (I love you) in romantic relationships. But part of its beauty is that it is the phrase of choice between friends and also relatives. While in English, we fucking LOVE everything, even inanimate objects and delicious things like gelato, Italians reserves love for VERY specific contexts. I LOVE this (ahah, catch the irony folks) about Italian. It's true, love is a very unique sentiment that should be revered and not thrown around like in it is in English.
For more explanation on this topic, check out this article from La Voce di New York: Ti amo, no… ti voglio bene. Differenze linguistiche e culturali
3. SEI UNO SCHIANTO: a schianto is literally a crash, usually a car crash but is used figuratively to say that someone is super hot. So if your Italian date picks you up and you're dressed to kill, he might tell you "sei uno schianto". It's similar to how we say "you're a knockout" in English.
4. MI FAI IMPAZZIRE: it's "you're driving me crazy/wild" and is used in the same contexts as in English. It can be positive or negative, like when someone is driving you nuts with their behaviour or when someone is really turning you on, making you crazy, driving you wild. Here's a great example of the latter use from The Vampire Diaries, pay attention to what Damon says to Elena: starti vicino mi fa impazzire.
5. PER SEMPRE: well this is an easy one, it means FOREVER and I love it because we all want something that lasts per sempre. (that's a short clip from The Notebook in Italian, the EPIC speech by Noah in front of the car and a great context example for the use of per sempre).
Well friends, that's it, that's all for this month of #DolceVitaBloggers. Please leave a comment and then go and check out the other amazing posts. Please feel free to download the INSTASTORY TEMPLATE that we made for this and tag myself, Kristie, and Kelly (scroll down).
This is part of the May #DolceVitaBloggers Linkup.
Past #DolceVitaBlogger Link-Ups:
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #5 April 2018 - The Perfect Day in Italy
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #4 March 2018 - International Women's Day
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #3 February 2018 - A Love Letter to Italy
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #2 January 2018 - Favourite Italian City
#DolceVitaBloggers Linkup - #1 December 2017 - 'The Italian Connection
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like to "dare un'occhiata" at these ones:
Immunity to Accent Attractiveness: Can the Italian Accent Stop Being Sexy?
The English Stare and Getting "Englished" Living Abroad and How To Deal
What I'm Really Thinking While Speaking Italian as a Second Language
Taking Risks in Language Learning
Language Burnout
The Gift of Language: Italian and Beyond
The Neverending Story of Learning Italian
Living in Italy, Speaking in English
Parli Italiano?
How to Keep Learning Italian in Italy
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