Advanced Italian Idioms

This is a hat. What am I doing? I am putting it on my head. I have put it on my head. That is, I have put this hat on my head.

What I would like to explain in this video is the figurative usage of the Italian idiom "mettersi in testa".

(Channel Intro)

Hi there! I am Luca, the interstellar representative of advanced Italian, and this video is aimed at those people who are learning Italian as a foreign language.

More specifically, this video is aimed at those learners who have already reached a good level of Italian, meaning the intermediate level or even the upper intermediate level.

In other words, this video is aimed at those people who understand Italian, but would like to improve their Italian. That is, to speak Italian better.

In fact, this video is part of a video series dedicated to Italian idioms and colloquial phrases. Below I'm gonna add a link to it.

That being said, in this video I would like to explain the Italian idiom "mettersi in testa".

Please pay attention that I said "mettersi in testa" and not "mettere in testa". Because there exist 2 different idioms. The first one is "mettersi in testa", which is the idiomatic phrase I'm gonna discuss in this video. Next, there's the idiomatic phrase "mettere in testa qualcosa a qualcuno", which I explained in a previous video.

Strictly speaking, the phrase is "mettersi in testa qualcosa". We can't just say "mettersi in testa".

That is, "mettersi in testa" is an idiomatic phrase based on a reflexive verb and its forms are:

io mi metto in testa,

tu ti metti in testa,

lui o lei si mette in testa,

noi ci mettiamo in testa,

voi vi mettete in testa,

loro si mettono in testa.

Pay attention to the passato prossimo, which for masculine subjects is:

io mi sono messo in testa,

tu ti sei messo in testa,

lui si è messo in testa,

noi ci siamo messi in testa,

voi vi siete messi in testa,

loro si sono messi in testa.

What's special about it? The peculiarity is that with reflexive verbs we use as auxiliary "essere", not "avere". The verb "mettere" normally takes the auxiliary "avere", eg. "io ho messo". If I use the reflexive form, I should say "mi sono messo".

Earlier I gave you the verb forms for masculine subjects. The verb forms for feminine subjects are:

io mi sono messa,

tu ti sei messa,

lei si è messa,

noi ci siamo messe,

voi vi siete messe,

loro si sono messe.

As you can see, we use feminine past participle forms, which end in A (singular forms) or E (plural forms).

That is all, as for verb forms.

The literal meaning is incredibly easy to explain.

This is a hat. What am I doing? I'am putting it on my head. I've put it on my head. That is, I've put the hat on my head. Or: "Mi sono messo in testa il cappello". "Mi sono messo il cappello in testa" sounds better.

This usage of "mettersi in testa" doesn't need further explanation, I guess. I think it is quite clear.

What I would like to explain in this video is the figurative use of the idiomatic phrase "mettersi in testa".

Also because in this figurative use the preposition IN has a different meaning. If I say "Mi sono messo il cappello in testa", IN means on my head. Because it's not that I push the hat into my head, I just put it on my head. I mean, even though we should say "Mettersi il cappello sulla testa", in fact we say "Mettersi il cappello in testa".

By contrast, if we use this phrase figuratively, the preposition IN precisely means into one's head. That is, "mettersi in testa qualcosa" means that we have an idea, we take this idea and get it through our head.

What does "mettersi in testa" mean in a figurative sense?

It means convincing oneself of something. In particular, this Italian idiom is used in reference to strange, weird, absurd, or at least questionable ideas. That is, in other words, "mettersi in testa qualcosa" means convincing oneself of something absurd. Or convincing oneself of something baseless.

That is, there are two components. On the one hand the individual is convinced of this thing and on the other this thing is quite doubtful or questionable. That is, in other words, if I say that someone "si è messo in testa qualcosa", I mean that this person is absolutely convinced of this, but I - the speaker - find this thing to be rather absurd.

So understand that if I say "Si è convinto di questa cosa" - that's one thing, I speak neutrally about it. By contrast, if I say "Si è messo in testa questa cosa", I express a particular point of view. What I'm saying is: he has convinced himself of this, but I'm not convinced, and I think that this is absurd.

For instance, to give you a practical example, I could say: "Daniele si è messo in testa delle idee assurde". Or: "Nell'utlimo periodo si è messo in testa delle idee strane".

What does it mean? It means: he started to convince himself of strange things.

Another example could be: "Marco si è messo in testa che lo stiano perseguitando". This is the version with the subjunctive mood. I could also use the indicative mood and say: "Marco si è messo in testa che lo stanno perseguitando".

Me personally, if you ask me my opinion, I prefer, in this case, with this idiom, the version with the indicative mood, because in my opinion "mettersi in testa" precisely conveys the idea that this individual has no doubt whatsoever about this thing. This person doesn't think that it may be untrue. This person is certain that it is true. So I prefer to use the indicative mood with this idiomatic phrase.

Or, to give you another example: "Laura si è messa in testa che Martina la odia". What does this sentence mean? It means that Laura convinced herself that Martina hates her. Laura is convinced of this, but probably there is no reason to think that.

I guess you can see the difference between a sentence such as "Laura pensa che Martina la odi" and the sentence "Laura si è messa in testa che Martina la odia". In the first case, this is presented as a thought which leaves room for doubt. In the other case, instead, this is presented as something certain, the person is certain about this thing.

Another example could be: "Giovanni si è messo in testa che la moglie lo tradisce". What does this sentence mean? Giovanni is convinced that his wife is cheating on him, but the person saying this believes that there is no reason to think that.

Another example could be: "Si è messa in testa che, se mangia dopo le sei di sera, ingrassa". Or: "Si è messa in testa che mangiare dopo le sei di sera fa ingrassare".

Well, I would say that most people use the idiom "mettersi in testa" this way.

However, this phrase could also be used in a slightly different way. Namely, I could say a sentence such as: "Si è messa in testa di dimagrire".

In this case, the phrase "Mettersi in testa" is more similar to the idea expressed by the phrase "prefiggersi un obiettivo", that is setting a goal. Spefically, setting a goal and setting your mind on reaching it at all costs. That is, trying everything to reach that goal.

If I say that someone "si è messa in testa di dimagrire", I mean that this person set the goal to lose weight and is actively doing their best. That is, it's not that they state that they set their mind on losing weight and don't do anything. It means, on the contrary, that they strive for such goal, this person is really motivated and wants to reach such goal.

I would say that, whenever someone uses the phrase "mettersi in testa", there's a particular nuance in meaning, that is, the speaker doesn't agree with the goal or idea in question.

For example, if someone says "Si è messa in testa di dover perdere 10 chili", the person saying this sentence probably doesn't agree with this goal.

Well, that is it! I hope you liked this phrase!

Up here I'm gonna add a card to another Italian idiom: "mettere qualcosa in testa a qualcuno". These two idioms are clearly related, but there are small differences. If you want, check out this video!

That said, good bye! May the force of advanced Italian be with you!