Wishes and proverbs in Italian
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Sign up for freeAs you get more and more familiar with the Italian language, it is important for you to learn some useful phrases, for example how to express wishes, and the most common proverbs
Lesson outline
HideWishes in Italian
In the following table you'll find the most common way to express wishes (gli auguri).
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Buon compleanno! | Happy Birthday! |
| Buon Natale! | Merry Christmas! |
| Buona Pasqua! | Happy Easter! |
| Buone vacanze! | Happy holidays! |
| Congratulazioni! | Congratulations! |
| Buona fortuna! | Good luck! |
| In bocca al lupo! | Break a leg! |
| Buon appetito! | Enjoy your meal! |
| Buona giornata! | Have a good day! |
| Buon fine settimana! | Have a good weekend! |
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Proverbs in Italian
An other important parts of Italian speaking language are proverbs (i proverbi).
In the following table you'll find the most common.
| Italian | English (literaral translation) | English (real translation) |
|---|---|---|
| Affogare in un bicchier d'acqua | To drown in a glass of water | To make a storm in a teacup |
| Al cuor non si comanda | You cannot lead the heart | Heart decides on its own |
| Avere grilli per la testa | To have crickets in the head | To have bats in the belfry |
| Chi ben comincia è a metà dell'opera | The one who starts well is halfway | Well begun is half done |
| Chi dorme non piglia pesci | The one who sleeps doesn't catch fish | You snooze, you lose |
| Chi fa da sé fa per tre | The one who does something by himself does it as if he is three people | Do it yourself, it's three times better |
| Chi la fa l'aspetti | The one who does something (wrong) has to expect something | What goes around comes around |
| E' nato con la camicia | He was born with his shirt on | He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth |
| Gallina vecchia fa buon brodo | An hold hen makes good soup | There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle |
| Il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio | The wolf may loose his fur, but not his viciousness | The leopard cannot change his spots |
| Meglio tardi che mai | Better late than never | Better late than never |
| Meglio prevenire che curare | It's better to prevent than cure | Better safe than sorry |
| Non è l'abito che fa il monaco | The habit does not make the monk | You can't tell a book by its cover |
| Non tutti hanno gli stessi gusti | Not everybody has the same taste | One man’s meat is another man’s poison |
| Non vendere la pelle dell'orso prima che sia morto | Don't sell his skin, before the bear is dead | Don't count your chickens before they are hatched |
| Paese che vai usanza che trovi | Wherever you go follow the customs you find | When in Rome, do as romans do |
| Rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera | Red (sky) in the evening, we'll hope for a good weather | Red sky at night, sailor's delight |
| Sano e salvo | Healthy and safe | Safe and sound |
| Sentirsi un pesce fuor d'acqua | To feel a fish out of water | To feel like a fish out of water |
| Tizio, Caio e Sempronio | Titus, Caius and Sempronius | Any Tom, Dick or Harry |
| Uomo avvisato, mezzo salvato | A warned man is half saved | Forewarned is forearmed |
Exercises
- Exercise on wishes in Italian - Drag text
- Exercise on wishes in Italian - Fill in the blanks
- Exercise on proverbs in Italian - Drag text
- Exercise on proverbs in Italian - Single choice set
Exercise on wishes in Italian - Drag text
Exercise on wishes in Italian - Fill in the blanks
Exercise on proverbs in Italian - Drag text
Exercise on proverbs in Italian - Single choice set
Exercises
- Exercise on wishes in Italian - Drag text
- Exercise on wishes in Italian - Fill in the blanks
- Exercise on proverbs in Italian - Drag text
- Exercise on proverbs in Italian - Single choice set