10 Italian Idioms You Should Know

In Italian there are quite a few idiomatic expressions or idioms. If you want to speak Italian naturally, you should also know the "espressioni idiomatiche", which are also called "modi di dire".

I would say that "espressioni idiomatiche" is a more technical and precise term, which is used only by Italian language instructors and linguists. Or rather, it is only used by Italian teachers, linguists, and those who pretend to be one. In everyday speech, people usually say "modi di dire".

If you learned Italian as a foreign language, you've come to the right place! In this video, in fact, I'm going to give you several examples with 10 Italian idiomatic expressions or idioms.

These expressions aren't usually taught in Italian classes, even though they are very common. Italians, in fact, use them very often.

If you use these expressions, you'll definitely make a great impression and show that you know the Italian language very well.

For each expression, I'm going to give you four examples. Just a quick remark: the example sentences are not related. Their goal is to help you understand the meaning of the various idioms.

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments!

Buckle up your seat belt and prepare to fly to the amazing world of Italian idiomatic expressions!

Round one

The first idiom I would like to explain is: "a spizzichi e mozzichi".

The first example sentence could be this: "In this period I'm very busy. I don't have much time to work on the project. Ci lavoro a spizzichi e mozzichi, whenever I have five minutes of spare time".

The second example sentence with this expression could be: "He doesn't have a permanent job. Lavora a spizzichi e mozzichi".

The third sentence could be: "I didn't watch all episodes of that series. Quella serie l'ho guardata a spizzichi e mozzichi".

And the fourth sentence with this idiom could be: "I asked Laura to tell me what happened, but from her words I didn't understand much. Mi ha raccontato le cose a spizzichi e mozzichi".

Alright! Let's move on to the next idiom!

Round two

The second Italian idiom I would like to explain is: "col contagocce".

The first sentence - (beep) I can't speak! The first example sentence could be: "Roberto is very frugal, spende col contagocce".

The second example sentence is: "State schools would need more funds, ma i finanziamenti vengono fatti col contagocce".

The third example with this idiomatic phrase could be: "I need more information! Non darmi le informazioni col contagocce!"

And the fourth example with this expression is: "Quel canale pubblica col contagocce. They publish one new lesson every three months".

Alright! Let's move on to the third idiom!

Round three

The third phrase I would like to explain is: "nuovo di pacca".

The first example sentence could be: "I would like to sell a monitor. Il monitor è nuovo di pacca. It's still in its package".

The second sentence could be: "Questi pantaloni sono nuovi di pacca. They have never been used. They stil have their label on".

The third example with this expression is: "Questo telefono è nuovo di pacca e già non funziona".

And the fourth example sentence with this idiomatic expression could be: "Oggi Alberto è venuto al corso di italiano con un motorino nuovo di pacca".

Alright! Let's move on to the next phrase!

Round four

The fourth idiomatic phrase I would like to explain is: "per un pelo".

The first example sentence could be: "I arrived to the station just in time. Non ho perso il treno per un pelo!"

The second example sentence could be: "That company was about to fail. Non è fallita per un pelo".

The third example with this idiom could be: "Si è salvato per un pelo. Thankfully, the bus driver hit the brake in time".

And the fourth example sentence could be: "I almost didn't pass my Italian exam. I made a lot of mistakes. L'ho superato per un pelo".

Let's see the fifth idiomatic expression!

Round five

The fifth Italian idiom I would like to explain is: "essere in ballo".

The first example could be this: "The process took too long. Siamo stati in ballo 15 anni".

The second example sentence with this idiomatic expression could be: "Paolo wor..." - ok "Paolo works as an Italian language instructor. Guadagna pochissimo e sta in ballo dalla mattina alla sera".

The third example sentence with this phrase could be: "I prefer to take the Italian exam straight away. Non voglio stare in ballo altri tre mesi".

And the last example sentence with this idiomatic expression could be: "Please, hurry up! Sto in ballo da stamattina e vorrei tornare a casa".

Let's move on to the sixth phrase!

Round six

The sixth idiom I would like to explain is: "tanto di guadagnato".

This is a set phrase and you can't change absolutely anything.

The first example could be: "I don't know if you know this word. If you know it... - (beep) I can't speak! "I don't know if you know this word. Se la conoscete, tanto di guadagnato!"

The second example sentence could be: "My ex and I had an argument. She told me that she doesn't want to see me anymore. You know what? Tanto di guadagnato!"

The third example with this set phrase could be: "Many people who learned Italian as a foreign language have trouble with pronominal verbs. Se non ne hai, tanto di guadagnato!"

And the fourth example with this fixed phrase could be: "If you can study Italian every day, tanto di guadagnato!"

Alright! Let's see the seventh idiomatic phrase!

Round seven

The seventh idiom I would like to explain is: "avere un diavolo per capello".

The first example sentence could be this: "Il professore ha un diavolo per capello. He found out that we have copied the Italian language assignment".

The second example could be this: "Il mio collega ha un diavolo per capello. This morning he has been fined and now he is furious".

The third example sentence with this idiomatic expression could be: "Laura un diavolo per capello. Stamattina le hanno rubato la bici e si è arrabbiata non poco".

Well, actually nobody says "si è arrabbiata non poco". What does "si è arrabbiata non poco" mean? It means she got really mad.

The fourth example sentence with this idiomatic expression could be: "Ivan ha un diavolo per capello. He didn't pass the C1 Italian exam, but he says that he knew everything". The intonation is wrong. Ok. "Ivan ha un diavolo per capello. He didn't pass the C1 Italian exam, but he says that he knew everything. He says that it's not fair".

Let's see the eighth saying!

Round eight

The eighth Italian expression I would like to explain in this video is: "alla grande".

The first example sentence could be: "Il progetto sta andando alla grande. It surpassed all our expectations".

The second example could be the following micro-dialogue:

- Come va?

- Alla grande, e a te?

The third example sentence could be: "La serata è andata alla grande. It was simply amazing".

The last example sentence with this idiom could be: "My project to learn lal... l... el" "My project to learn the Italian language sta andando alla grande. I've already learnt a lot of words and idiomatic expressions".

Let's see the ninth expression!

Round nine

The ninth Italian expression I would like to explain is: "mettere le mani addosso a qualcuno".

The first example sentence could be this: "Carlo ended up in the hospital. He had an argument with a cyclist e gli ha messo le mani addosso. The two beat each other up, Carlo took a beating and ended up in hospital".

The second example sentence could be this: "Elisa ha divorziato dal marito perché lui un giorno le ha messo le mani addosso".

The third example sentence with this expression could be: "Roberto had an argument with a guy relating to parking. La discussione è degenerata e quello gli ha messo le mani addosso".

The fourth example sentence could be: "Francesco è stato arrestato perché ha messo le mani addosso a un carabiniere".

Let's see the tenth and last expression!

Final round

The tenth idiom I would like to explain is: "a menadito".

The first example could be: "Questa città la conosco a menadito, vivo qui da 50 anni".

The second example could be: "Marco conosce il codice civile a menadito. He has learned all articles by heart".

The third example sentence with this expression could be: "Giovanni conosce a menadito tutti i dettagli del progetto".

And the fourth example could be: "The librarian has been working here for 30 years. Conosce la biblioteca a menadito".

Well, I hope that you liked these 10 Italian idioms. If you found this video helpful, please, leave bel... - what (beep)! If you found this video helpful, please leave an amazing Like, so that I understand that you enjoy this type of content.

Like I said, if you wish to speak Italian fluently and naturally, you must know the idiomatic expressions.

Obviously, one in theory might also decide not use this type of expressions and speak like a dictionary. But I assure you that, if you start using these expressions when you speak Italian, everybody will be impressed.

Needless to say, in this video I couldn't discuss all phrasemes of the Italian language.

However, I have great news for you! On this channel I've published more than 300 free video lessons on different Italian idioms.

Up here I'm going to add a card to the playlist in which I grouped several of these lessons. If you want to expand your vocabulary, check it out!

I would also encourage you to subscribe to my channel and turn on the notifications.

And may the Force of the Italian language be with you!