ITALIAN PROVERBS

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Italian_proverbs

"A buon intenditor poche parole." o Literal translation: "Few words to the good knowledgeable" o Idiomatic translation: "A word to the wise (is sufficient)." "A correre e cagare ci si immerda i garretti." o Literal translation: "By running and defecating at the same time, you'll get shit on your heels." o Idiomatic translation: "Doing two things at the same time will result in a mess." o Original proberb in the dialect of Ferrara : "A corar e cagar as s'immerda i garit." "A caval donato non si guarda in bocca." o Translation: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Note: Remember the Troy horse...

"A chi dai il dito si prende anche il braccio." o Literal translation: "Give them a finger and they'll take an arm" o Idiomatic translation: "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile." "Aiutati che Dio ti aiuta." o Literal translation: "Help yourself and God will help you." o Idiomatic translation: "God helps those who help themselves."

(Also known in the form "Aiutati che il ciel ti aiuta.", literal translation: "Help yourself and Heaven will help you.")

"Al contadino non far sapere quanto buono il cacio con le pere." o Translation: "Don't let the peasant know how good the cheese with the pears is."

(Also known in the form "Al contadino non far sapere quanto buono il formaggio con le pere.", translation is the same, but "formaggio" is the generic term for "cheese", while "cacio" is the proper name of a certain kind of cheese)

"Amicu ca non ti duna, parendi ca non ti mpresta, fuili comu la pesta." o Sicilian translation: "Friend who won't give, relatives who won't lend you a hand, avoid them like the plague."

"Il bue che dice cornuto all'asino" o Translation: "The ox saying 'horned' to the donkey" o Idiomatic translation: "The pot calling the kettle black" o Note: Italian double meaning: "cornuto" is a colloquial expression for "cuckold"

"Cane che abbaia non morde." o Literal translation: "The dog that barks doesn't bite." o Idiomatic translation: "The barking dog seldom bites." "Campa cavallo, che l'erba cresce." o Literal translation: "Be alive horse, because grass grows." o Idiomatic translation: "While the horse starves, the grass grows." "Campa cavallo!" o Idiomatic translation: "That'll be the day!" "Chi bene incomincia a met dell'opera." o Translation: "Well begun is half done." "Chi dice Siena, dice Palio." o Translation: "He who mentions Siena mentions the Palio" (that city's famous horse-race). o Note: said of something that one cannot mention without calling some other thing to mind. "Chi dorme non piglia pesci." o Literal translation: "Those who sleep don't catch any fish" o Idiomatic translation: "The early bird catches the worm." "Chi fa da s, fa per tre." o Translation: "He who works by himself does the work of three (people)." o Idiomatic translation: "If you want something done, do it yourself." o Note: ironically contradicted by: "L'unione fa la forza" ("Union produces might.") Chi ha la mamma sua non piange mai. o Translation: "He who has his own mother never cries." "Chi la dura la vince." o Translation: "He who perseveres wins at last." "Chi la fa l'aspetti." o Translation: "He who wrongs someone has to expect something in retaliation." o Idiomatic translation: "What goes around, comes around." "Chi la sera i pasti gli ha fatti, sta a gli altri a lavar i piatti." o Translation: "If one cooks the meal then the others wash up." "Chi lascia la strada vecchia per la nuova sa quel che lascia, ma non sa quel che trova." o Literal translation: "Who leaves the old street for the new one, knows what he left but not what he'll find." o Idiomatic translation: "Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know." "Chi mangia solo crepa solo." o Translation: "He who eats alone dies alone." "Chi parla in faccia non traditore." o Translation: "He who speaks to your face is not a traitor." "Chi pensa male fa peccato ma indovina."

Translation: "He who thinks badly commits a sin but hits the mark."

"Chi s'impiccia degli affari altri, di tre parte glie ne resta due." o Translation: "He who meddles in others people's affairs will be left with two of three parts."

Chi si volta, e chi si gira, sempre a casa va finire. Meaning: no matter where you go, your house is always there waiting

Chi tardi arriva, male alloggia. o Translation: "Who came in late, finds a bad accomodation" Chi tante male azioni fa, una grossa ne aspetta. o Translation: "He who does many bad deeds can expect a big one in return." o Idiomatic translation: "What goes around comes around." "Chi troppo vuole, nulla stringe." o Translation: "He who wants too much doesn't catch anything." "Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro." o Translation "He who finds a friend finds a treasure." "Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano." o Translation: "He who goes slowly goes safely and goes far." "Chi p, non v; chi v, non p; chi s, non f; chi f, non s; e cos, male il mondo v." o Translation: "Who can do, don't want to; Who wants to, can't do; Who knows how to do, won't do it; Who does it, doesn't know how to; and, so, badly goes the world." "Commediante! Tragediante!" o Literal translation: "Comedian! Tragedian!" o Note: exclaimed by Pope Pius VII during a violent scene that Napoleon made before him. "Chi nasce asino non pu morire cavallo" o Literal translation: "Who's born as donkey can't die as horse" o Note: Abruzzo's proverb

"Dai nemici mi guardo io, dagli amici mi guardi Iddio!" o Translation: "I (can) protect myself from my enemies; may God protect me from my friends!" "Dare a Cesare quel che di Cesare, dare a Dio quel che di Dio." o Literal translation: "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, give to God what belongs to God." o Translation: "Give credit where credit is due." "Del male non fare e paura non avere." o Translation: "Do no evil and have no fear." "Del senno di poi son piene le fosse." o Literal translation: "Graves are filled with after-the-fact wisdom." o Idiomatic translation: "Hindsight is always 20/20."

"Dio ci salvi dal povero arricchito e dal ricco impoverito." o Translation: "God save us from the enriched poor and from the impoverished rich." "Donna che piange, uomo che giura, cavallo che suda, tutta impostura." o Translation: "A woman who cries, a man who swears, a horse that sweats, all imposture.11"

" meglio un uovo oggi di una gallina domani." o Literal translation: "An egg today is better than a chicken tomorrow." o Idiomatic translation: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" "Eppur, si muove!" o Translation: "Nevertheless, it moves." o Note: Galileo is supposed to have said this after being forced by the Church to halt promulgating his heliocentric theory as fact. " la gaia pioggerella a far crescer l'erba bella." o Translation: "It's the merry drizzle that makes grass grow fine."

"Fatto trenta, facciamo trentuno" o Translation: "Made thirty, we should make thirty-one" or better "Made thirty, let's make thirty-one" o Note: said by pope Pope Leo X on July 1, 1517, when he created 30 new cardinals. Another priest, who seemed to him also worthy, was nominated during the ceremony. "Fatti maschi, parole femmine." o Translation: "Facts are male, words are female." o Alternative: "Manly deeds, womanly words." o Note: Motto of the state of Maryland "Finch c' vita c' speranza." o Translation: "Where there's life, there's hope."

"Fatti i cazzi tuoi, ca campi cent'anni." o Translation from Calabrian: "Mind your own business, and you'll live 100 years."

Better: Chi s'occupa coi i suoi propri affari, va continuare per cent'anni. ( Colui che s'occupa ...) Whoever occupies himself with his own affairs will live a hundred years.

"Fra il dire e il fare c'e' di mezzo il mare." o Translation: "An ocean lies between what is said and what is done." o Idiomatic translation: "Easier said than done." "Cuanti Strozo que vile in un piato de merde"

Mixed forms from Spanish and French but not dialectical Italian. Extremely vulgar.Better in Calabrian or Sicilian as: "Quanti stronzi si vede in un piato di merda."

"How many turds does one see in a plate of shit."

Idiomatically: "its all the same (bad) no matter what!"

"Fuggi da Foggia no per Foggia ma per i Foggiani." o Translation: "run away from Fogga not for Foggia itself, but for the people of Foggia."

"L'occhio del padrone ingrassa il cavallo." o Literal translation: "The eye of the owner fattens the horse." o Idiomatic translation: "Nobody takes care of one's business as does its owner." "Il bicchiere della staffa." o Literal translation: "The (wine)glass of the stirrup." o Idiomatic translation: "One for the road." "Il mattino ha l'oro in bocca" o Literal translation: "The morning [the sun] brings gold in it's mouth." o Idiomatic translation: "The early bird gets the worm." or "He who wakes early meets a golden day." Essentially, one is more productive in the morning. o Note: This idiom replaces "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" in the Italian translation of Stanley Kubrik's The Shining. It is not a literal translation but is used as a saying that is trite due to over-use. "In bocca al lupo." o Translation: "Into the mouth of a wolf." o Idiomatic translation: "Break a leg!" o Note: used by students to wish each other good luck before exams, the response to which is "Crepi!" ("May it die!") o Note 2: other variants: "In culo alla balena!" ("Into the ass of a whale!"), sometimes added to "In bocca al lupo!", the response to which is "speriamo che non caghi!" ("hope it doesn't defecate [vulgar]") "In groppa al riccio!" ("On an hedgehog's back!"), the response to which is "Con le mutande di ghisa!" ("Wearing underpants made of cast iron!") "In un mondo di ciechi un orbo re." o Translation: "In a world of blind people, a one-eyed man is king."

"L'Italia far da s." o Translation: "Italy will take care of itself." o Note: a common expression when Italy was in the process of reunification. "La gatta frettolosa ha fatto i gattini ciechi." o Literal translation: "The hurried she-cat has made blind kittens."

"La madre degli idioti sempre incinta." o Translation: "The mother of idiots is always pregnant." "La morte mi trover vivo." o Translation: "Death will find me alive." "La vita come un albero di natale, c' sempre qualcuno che rompe le palle." o Literal translation: "Life is like a christmas tree, there's always someone who breaks the balls." "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate." o Translation: "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." o Note: inscribed above the Gates of Hell in Dante Alighieri's Inferno (III, 9) Also commonly written (by the students) above the entrance to examination halls in universities. "L'abito non fa il monaco." o Literal translation: "The outfit does not make the monk." o Idiomatic translation: "Clothes do not make the man."

"Mal comune, mezzo gaudio." o Literal translation: "A common trouble is half joy." o Translation: "Trouble shared is trouble halved." "Meglio tardi che mai." o Translation: "Better late than never." "Meglio un uovo oggi che una gallina domani." o Translation: "Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow." "Mettere il carro davanti ai buoi." o Translation: "Put the cart before the horse." "Mogli e buoi dei paesi tuoi." o Literal translation: "Wives and oxen from your own land."

"Oggi a te, domani a me." o Translation: Today to you, tomorrow to me. o Idiomatic Translation: Every dog has its day

"Paesi che vai, usanze che trovi." o Translation: "The countries you visit, the customs you find." o Idiomatic Translation: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." "Per un punto, Martin perse la cappa!" o Translation: "Because of a period, Martin lost his post!" o Note: The meaning of the proverb is that details can make or break you.

(The origin of this proverb is a tale, in which an acolyte monk, Martin, was told to write the latin phrase "Porta patens esto. Nulli claudatur honesto": "Be the door (always) open. Be not closed to any honest (person)", referring to the door of the monastery. He instead supposedly wrote on that door "Porta patens esto nulli. Claudatur honesto.": "Be the door open to no one. Be it closed to honest (people)." Thus, he lost "the cape" (i.e.: the right of taking vows as a monk) because of a period, or dot (Italian language uses the same word). That to symbolize how little details make a big difference in meaning or results.)

"Pi facile a dirsi che a farsi." o Idiomatic traslation:"Easier said than done."

"Quando il gatto non c', i topi ballano." o Literal translation: "When the cat is missing, the mice dance." o Idiomatic translation: "When the cat's away, the mice will play." "Quel che non ammazza, ingrassa." o Literal translation: "What won't kill you, will feed you" "Quella destinata per te, nessuno la prender." o Literal translation: "No one will take the one who is destined for you." o Idiomatic translation: "True love waits."

"Rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera." o Literal translation: "Red sky in the evening, one hopes for good weather." o Idiomatic translation: "Red sky at night, shepherd's delight." "Ride bene chi ride ultimo." o Translation: "He who laughs last, laughs best."

"Se non vero, ben trovato." o Translation: "If it's not true, it's a good story." "La speranza l'ultima a morire" o Translation: "Hope is last to die" "Se si disperdono spine, non camminare scalzi." o Translation: f you scatter thorns, don't go barefoot.

Tanto va la gatta al lardo che ci lascia lo zampino. o Literal translation: "So often goes the cat to the fat that she loses her paw." o Idiomatic translation: "Curiosity killed the cat." o Idiomatic translation: "The pitcher goes so often to the well that it gets broken at last." "Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare la donna mia..." o Translation: "So kind and so honest my lady appears to be .." o Note: famous opening lines of Dante Alighieri's Sonnet 26 from La Vita Nuova

(The word "onesta" is a female adjective. In modern Italian, in means "honest", but in the context could be also translated as "true" or "Fair")

"Tempo, marito e figli vengono come li pigli." o Translation: "Weather, husbands, and sons come as you take them." "Tempo al tempo." o Translation: "All in good time." "Tra il dire e il fare, c' di mezzo il mare." o Literal translation: "Between doing and saying lies the sea." o Idiomatic translation: "Easier said than done." "Traduttore, traditore." o Translation: "Translator, traitor." "Tu duca, tu signore e tu maestro." o Translation: "You are my guide, my lord, and my master." o Note: said by Dante Alighieri to Virgil before entering Hell (Inferno, II, 140). "Tutte le strade portano a Roma." o Translation: "All roads lead to Rome."

Una buona mamma vale cento maestre. o Translation: A good mother is worth a hundred teachers. "Un baso no fa buso!" o Translation: "A kiss make no asshole!" o Note: Venice's proverb

"Vai in piazza e chiedi consiglio; vai a casa e fai come ti pare." o Translation: "Go to the square and ask advice; go home and do what you like." "Val pi la pratica della grammatica." o Translation: "Experience is more important than theory." "Vedi Napoli, e poi muori!" o Translation: "See Naples, and then die!" o Note: used to express admiration for Naples.

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