Website for Italian phrases?
 

Anyone know of a helpful website where I could print out Italian phrases good for travel?

Just go to a bookstore and buy a phrase book. DK (isbn 0789432366)is a good one, small and much easier to use than a bunch of printouts. Books rule.

<tongue in cheek> If you want the ones real Italians use, go here http://www.beginningwithi.com/italy/living/itslang.html - DON'T go there if you're easily offended by strong language.

A bit of less-incendiary idiom can be found at http://www.beginningwithi.com/italy/living/idiom.html

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com

At the bottom of this page:
http://www.dream-vacation-in-tuscany...n_italian.html

you can find links to pages with some basic Italian words and phrases.

I love this site, especially "Italian Steps", if you want to pick up a little of the language.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/

Well, Deidre, since you're flacking your website a hundred times here (what is the purpose of doing that, pray?) I took a brief look at your definitions of slang expressions-and I must say, I wouldn't agree with some of those I looked at, and others are incomplete.

Example : "Boh" is NOT the standard exclamation for the definition of a verbal shrug. The standard term is "Beh" not "Boh" I've not heard "Boh" out on the streets (but "beh" a zillion times) which is by no means saying that it is not in use, but it is saying that Boh is NOT the standard word for that definition. I have at least two Italian language books from my studies in Italy that go over the use of the word "Beh" in many contexts-and I of course, read in Italian, interviews and the like, and "beh" shows up in printed interview formats or quotes in the newspapers as well. So I don't agree there.

Second, "Scatole" - you have an incomplete definition listed- "rompi scatole" -is the more common form, -the phrase means literally "boxbreaker" but is commonly defined as an annoying person, a "pain in the butt," and is not considered particularly rude and is in common use all over Italy. You only have a phrase using it in the more vulgar form, rather than the form above, which is much milder.

Example:

Cecila e cosi rompi scatole! Mi chiama la telefono tutte le volte che ha un problema!

(Cecelia is such a pain in the butt. She calls me on the phone every time she has a problem).

I would not translate your phrase as you have done-as the common definition does not have to do with the word "palle."

Try about.com...here is a link I found that has phrases:

http://italian.about.com/library/sur...talian+phrases

Also, you can sign up for a free Italian word a day from www.transparentlanguage.com

Girlspy, which part of Italy are you in? It may be that beh is more common further south than we are (Milan/Lecco). Up here, it's definitely boh. We have some friends coming up from Rome this weekend, I'll ask them.

Re. which phrases are more or less rude, I was considering using stars or chilis or some such symbol, but these things are subjective. My in-laws would be shocked by most of what's on that page, but Italian young people use c**zo as routinely as American young people use f**k. How offensive you find this is by now up to you. So there doesn't seem much point in trying to rate rudeness, though I have made a few distinctions on the page.

You are most welcome to start your own web page about Italian slang with your own definitions, and/or you could put your comments into the comments page for mine (as many people have done). That's the most-visited page on my site nowadays, so probably more people will see your opinions there than here.

As to why I mention my site on here, most often I do it because I have a specific page responding to a specific question, and it's easier for me to direct people there than post the same reply over and over again here. If you look closely, you'll see that my site has various pages responding to common questions like "how should I dress in Italy?", "why won't they serve me tap water in the restaurants?", "can I get a doggy bag?" etc. I wrote those pages because the questions came up on this and other travel forums (otherwise, those topics would never have occurred to me - they are not things I worry about myself!).

I therefore assume that such pages can be useful from time to time, and that's when I mention them. If you're not interested, feel free to ignore all my posts.

Randomhouse has a site with fantastic free downloads. Scroll down to Travelers Pocket Phrase Guides; there is a very handy, foldable, double-sided phrase sheet. Print and go!
http://www.randomhouse.com/livinglan...downloads.html

Fodor's has good pages

http://www.fodors.com/language/italian/

There's this one too, and I'm not flackin'

http://italian.about.com/od/slangdic...dictionary.htm

And this one is good, but no Italian anywhere I've been in Italy sounds like this, only my neighbors (Sicilian immigrants) did.

http://www.ggjaguar.com/glossary.pdf

Google translate as an app on your smartphone. You can build your own favorites and always have it readily available. Converts English to Italian and vice versa. You can record a response you receive in italian and it translates it to English. It doesn't use data on your phone.

Gypsie..

we use Beh..Beh can also take the place (Oh well)

For example: beh, la vita e meglio cosi..( well, life is better this way.

.Boh..is just an expression and use it when you dont really know something and cant explains it at times.

As Deirdre said on her post .young people or men use the word.
ca**o..is a cussing word as the infamous F***..Women dont use it unless they are trashy and vulgars.

My compliments to anyone that is Not italian and try to be an expert of that language..

There's a funny little app on iTunes called, Talking Italian Phrases. It is extremely limited but sort of handy in a pinch. Since it's free, you can pretty much tell who sponsors it when you check out Essential Phrases, including,"I'd like a whiskey sour" and "I want a Fiat 500."