Mettersi nei panni di (Italian idiom)

Hi, there! I'm Luca and this amazing video is aimed at those people who study Italian as a foreign language.

I use the verb "study" in the broad sense, because I'm referring not only to those people who are studying Italian at university or in a language school where Italian is taught, but I'm referring in general to all people who are learning Italian as a foreign language.

This video is in fact part of the video series dedicated to Italian idioms that I've published on my channel.

These videos are aimed at those people who are already able to understand Italian and would like to improve their Italian. That is, in other words, it's aimed at those people who wish to speak Italian well. Below I'm gonna add a link to this video series.

That being said, in this video I'd like to reply to a request I received from one of my subscribers. Some time ago, this person asked me to explain a number of idiomatic phrases with the verb "mettere".

One of these idioms was the phrase "mettersi nei panni di qualcuno". Or, to be precise, "mettersi nei panni di qualcun altro". That is, "di un'altra persona".

Obviously, we can say "mettere nei panni di" and then add the person's name. Or we can replace their name with an adjective. In this case we don't say "mettersi nei panni di", but we say, for example, "mettersi nei suoi panni".

So I can say "mettersi nei panni di Laura", or "mettersi nei suoi panni". What does "suoi" mean? It means: her's.

So keep in mind that this is a reflexive verb, "mettersi " - not "mettere". Its forms are:

io mi metto,

tu ti metti,

lui si mette,

lei si mette,

noi ci mettiamo,

voi vi mettete,

loro si mettono.

In addition, we can say "nei panni di" and specify the person's name, or we can use "nei" plus an adjective followed by "panni". For example, I can say "Mi metto nei suoi panni". Or "Mi metto nei tuoi panni".

By contrast, if I use the second-person -singular of this verb, I should say: "Tu ti metti nei miei panni". Or "Tu ti metti nei suoi panni".

Please keep in mind that this is a reflexive verb, so the passato prossimo tense is "mi sono messo", - not "mi ho messo". It is "mi sono messo". The second person is "ti sei messo" - not "ti hai messo". That's because this is how reflexive verbs work.

One of the most common forms of this idiom is precisely the imperative mood, namely "Mettiti nei miei panni!"

This is all with respect to verb forms.

As for the meaning, well, let me say right away that the word "i panni" in this idiomatic phrase stands for "i vestiti" (clothes). So, if I tell someone "mettiti nei miei panni", I'm literally saying to them: try to put yourself in my clothes.

What does it figuratevely mean? It means: try to imagine that you were in my place.

I don't know if you have ever watched one of those movies where someone's soul enters somebody else's body. Well, that's exactly the situation referred to by the phrase "mettersi nei panni di un'altra persona". That is, imagining to be the other person.

In other words, if I ask someone to put themselves in my shoes, I am asking them to stop for a moment and think for a moment what they would do, if they were in my position.

When do we use this phrase?

For example, when someone does something which in our opinion is wrong. We make them notice that, we tell him (or her) "Well, I think you did something wrong. You shouldn't have done that. You should have acted differently".

This person could reply to us: "Yeah, right, that's easier said than done. Ma mettiti nei miei panni!".

What does it mean? It means: try for a moment to imagine that you were in my place. What would you have done, if you were in my place? In other words, try to imagine that you were in my position. What would you have done? Putting aside the theory and what you are saying now. Imagine that you actually were in that position.

Because in the end, you know better than I, that we often tell others "You did something wrong. You shouldn't have done that, but this instead". These people, though, may have acted in a certain way precisely because they were in a particular situation.

So, if someone tells me "mettiti nei miei panni", they are asking me to be more understanding. To try to understand what they felt in that very moment.

You know, we may say to someone "In my opinion, though, you should have done so and so", and this person may reply to us "I know I should have done that, but I was in such a position that, if I did that, bla bla bla", right?

And then this person may tell us: "Mettiti nei miei panni!". Meaning: you would have probably done the same thing, if you were in the same situation.

Like I said, this is quite possibly the most common phrase: "mettiti nei miei panni". That is, it's a call.

In theory, we could also say something along these lines: "Eh, ma prova a metterti nei panni di Laura". Or: "Eh, ma prova a metterti nei suoi panni".

The meaning is the same. For example, if we are criticizing one of Laura's decisions, someone may ask us to be more understanding, and tell us: "try to stop for a moment and think. Try to think what you would have done if you were in the same situation. Now it's easy to say what one should have done. But in that moment you would have probably done the same thing.

If we want, we can use this phrase together with the verb "provare", that is: "prova a metterti nei suoi panni", "prova a metterti nei miei panni".

Well, there is something that I'd like to stress. This idiomatic phrase points out something specific. Usually, the phrase "mettersi nei panni di qualcun altro" is used where imagining to be in someone else's place would lead to making the same decision. It is usually implied: put yourself in my shoes, you would have done the same thing.

Alright, that's it!

That said, good bye!

And may the Force of Advanced Italian be with you!