Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Alcuni usi di "to be"

Sempre più frequentemente mi imbatto in espressioni
che usano "to be" senza coniugarlo ai vari tempi...
Mi spiego:
I be, you be, he be.....
*invece di*
I am, you are, he is...
Non mi ci sono mai soffermato molto, e pensavo si trattasse di qualche 
forma di congiuntivo...tuttavia mi suonava piuttosto male, e stamattina 
ho avuto la "conferma", leggendo il titolo di una canzone (Motherfuckers 
BE trippin'), che col congiuntivo penso non c'entri proprio nulla...
Sapete dirmi qualcosa?
thx,
Nebo

 Sapete dirmi qualcosa?
Ebonic.
www.cal.org/resources/digest/ebonic-issue.html
Q: Why don't these socalled Ebonic speakers inflect the verb "to be." Why
do they say "He be eatin" when they mean "He is eating?"
A: Linguist: Unlike English which has only one form for "to be," Ebonic has
two words for "to be." One of them is inflected and the other is not. The
grammar of Ebonic makes a distinction not found in English. The difference
is quite subtle and not easy for English speakers to master.
Il "be" dell'Ebonic, in pratica, è di due tipi. Uno si coniuga, l'altro no.
Quello che si coniuga ha lo stesso significato del "to be" inglese. Quello
che non si coniuga implica una continuità nell'azione.
He is eatin significa	he is eating
He be eatin significa   he is always eating
Sebastiano

 He be eatin significa   he is always eating
In pratica, in questo esempio, unisce la funzione del Present Continuous 
(azione che dura nel tempo) e del Simple Present (abitudine)?
Ma in sostanza l'Ebonic cos'è? Un gergo, un sublinguaggio, un dialetto...?
Nebo

 wrote in message
news:1080kybw4s1tx.142l5u8dwqo0b$.dlg@40tude.net...

I don't know why you use the word "Ebonic" as if it had some
linguistic credentials.
The word was invented by the same people who encouraged black
Americans, descendants of slaves kidnapped from Western Africa, to
study Swahili, a language of Eastern Africa, which none of their
ancestors ever spoke.
I don't know of any black American who would admit to speaking
"Ebonic", or who would not be embarrassed by the use of that word.
Just replace the word with "Black American English".
Joe from Massachusetts

 Ma in sostanza l'Ebonic cos'č? Un gergo, un sublinguaggio, un dialetto...?
Bella domanda. Mille i pareri. C'č chi dice lingua, chi gergo, chi
semplicemente "bad English". Non so quale sia la posizione piů diffusa.
Sebastiano

 linguistic credentials.
per quanto vale...
I agree 200% or more with Joe here. "Ebonic" is a bullshit flag. 
"Incoming Bullshit Warning Orange: Bullshit Defence teams close up,
close up. Weapons free, weapons free."
<fx: sound of ship's klaxon, running feet, dacca-dacca-dacca, whoosh of
missile launch>
Ci risiamo, lo so, ma come si tradurebbe "bullshit" in italiano? Non e'
che la *cosa* vi manchi, ma forse la parola.
-- 
"The past resembles the future as water resembles water"  Ibn Khaldun
My .
mac.com
 address is a spam sink.
If you wish to email me, try atlothian at blueyonder dot co dot uk

 Just replace the word with "Black American English".
Ok. Thanks.
Sebastiano

 che la *cosa* vi manchi, ma forse la parola.
"stronzata" o "stronzate", dipende dal contesto.
Alternative, più o meno volgari:
vaccata		vaccate
cagata		cagate
puttanata	puttanate
minchiata	minchiate
Sebastiano

"stronzata" o "stronzate", dipende dal contesto.
AH, now we're getting down to the important stuff. I've wondered about
this for a while, since BS is one of my favorite expressions, being
the cynical old fart that I am.
But does "stronzata" carry the same connotations as BS? Like a one
word expletive to someone who is trying to tell you an obvious lie, or
sell you on some ridiculous idea, or to yell at the TV when your least
favorite politician is spewing lies???  How would it be used in these
cases  - "che stronzata"?
My wife says the closest is "palle" which seems to be close to the
Brit. English "bollocks". Or in Milanese "Ballót" (palle).  But
"palle" seems to be quite tame, I hear my refined cognata use it, and
my wife isn't much of an expert on nasty expletives. Her favorite is
"porco cane" but once when she really got mad, it was "porco dio"...
My Italian cognato who now lives in the US says "Boolsheet". hehe



"Cazzata  Cazzate". Noto che "minchia" (interiezione dai vari significati)
è usatissima qui, mentre probabilmente una volta un minchia-utterer avrebbe
suscitato stupore.
Ciao, FB
-- 
"While I'm here, might I make a few changes? I adore my bedroom, but do you
think I could have my curtains washed? I believe they're red, but I should
like to make sure."
(Cold Comfort Farm, the film)


Can you then also say "pucchiaccata / pucchiaccate?
Or how about monata / monate  ??  :>)
Joe from Massachusetts

 I didn't know that.
Come dicevo, "Incoming Bullshit."


 My Italian cognato who now lives in the US says "Boolsheet". hehe
-- 


 "porco cane" but once when she really got mad, it was "porco dio"...
Ok, my friend. You *can't* say that. It's *forbidden*. I don't care if you
want to blasphem out loud (I am atheist, so what would I care), but -
believe me - people goes *nuts* if they see you writing that stuff. FB,
please, he didn't know, I hope you can forgive him. *Please*, not again.
Trust me, don't you *ever* write that again, if you don't want to start a
flame. If you say that kind of swearwords with your friends and they don't
mind, well, do as you please, but writing them on a NG is asking for
trouble. :)
Sebastiano

 suscitato stupore.
Dimenticavo il più basilare. Vero, anche qui è usato. Non è più sentito
come "cosa del sud", mentre il suo equivalente femminile (sticchio, che
pure è un termine maschile) non è noto per niente.
Sebastiano

 Or how about monata / monate  ??
In dialetto sě.
*bestemmia a piacere*, che monade!
In italiano, tradotto, non funziona.
Figata e figate sono cose belle, cool.
Sebastiano

 Come dicevo, "Incoming Bullshit."
Gią. E io usavo un termine offensivo senza saperlo. :/
Sebastiano

 "porco cane" but once when she really got mad, it was "porco dio"...
Well, the last one is *very* offensive, much more than "stronzata", 
"cazzata" etc., because you're actually...er, calling God "a pig".
That's swearing.
By the way, do you call "swearing" all bad words, or that's only when 
the offensive utterance refers to God and/or teh religion?
many thx,
Nebo

 Or how about monata / monate  ??  :>)
Definetly not :-)
The point is, you're splitting the words the wrong way.
puttan-ata, puttan-ate
minch-i-ata, minch-i-ate
The actual suffixe is -ata, while "puttan-" and "minch(i)" are the stems.
The two words come from "puttana" (whore) and "minchia" (cock).
The suffixe -ata in this case changes the meaning of the word from the 
one of the noun X to another noun Y, which (literally but not 
practically) indicates an "X thing", or something done "X's style".
So, "puttanata" means (still, only literally: you'll never tell a whore 
she's doing a "puttanata") "a whore thing" and a cazzata/minchiata is "a 
cock thing".
It is interesting to note how in italian bad things are associated to 
male genitals, while good things are associated to female genitals.
Cazzata, minchiata, belinata are all "cock things" (actually they're all 
local variations of the same word), and are used to address to bad or 
ridicolous stuff; a "cazzone", "minchione" etc. are all good 
translations for "you asshole!".
On the contrary, "ficata / figata" is a...."pussy thing", and is 
something cool, like cool guy is a "fico / figo" and a cool or hot girl 
is a "fica / figa" (but a girl may feel insulted by that word, 'cause it 
may sound either "beautiful girl", "hot girl" or "cunt")
The only exception I know is the Venetian "mona", which still refers to 
the vagina but may be used insult someone (= asshole).
Nebo

 the vagina but may be used insult someone (= asshole).
We rule!
Sebastiano, el mona de la serata

 wrote:

Niente problema. Ed io mi aspettavo felicitazioni per il mio "dacca
dacca dacca" Action Stations!
:)



Mai stato a Napoli?  :>)
Joe from Massachusetts

 wrote:

Hmm. Anni fa, pensavo che l'italiano, no problem. Then I went to
Venice. Oh, and later, I went to Calabria. Next time I'll take an
Albanian phrasebook -- that way I'll be able to talk to at least some
people :)
expletives deleted


 Mai stato a Napoli?  :>)
Nope. I have never heard those words. What's their meaning?
Sebastiano


Sebastiano (and others),
Thanks for your kind help in helping me understand this important
facet of the language.
I would like to apologize to the group for writing something
blasphemous, I guess I just wasn't thinking. It wasn't meant to offend
anyone. Although I have strong views on the subject, I am tolerant of
others' beliefs. Sorry, it won't happen again.
As for my wife's outburst, I only heard it that one time when she was
really pissed, I think she broke an heirloom or something. I was
pretty shocked myself when I heard it. She's a good person, and even
goes to mass sometimes. 

 people :)
Hehehe.
Well, the same happened to me. In New York, no problem. Well, there was
this Puerto Rican girl in McDonald's and I had some problems understanding
the word "dressing" (a word I didn't know) and then the names of those
dressing ("the first you said", was my choice).
Then I went to London. Holy crap. :)
I remember I was in a youth hostel and I asked information to a guy. IIRC
he was Scottish. I am still wondering about that. I don't know what he said
to me. Not a clue. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Zip.
Sebastiano

the offensive utterance refers to God and/or teh religion?
Swearing is a general term that covers all of the above. 


Nebo,
I was taught this word by my suocero who is a 81 year old Milanese,
and has a great sense of humor. Somtimes at family gatherings (and
after a few glasses of Prosecco) he will start saying things in
dialect, and everyone around the table laughs. I guess the use of
dialect seems quaint to them. 
I only know a few terms in Milanese, but maybe after I get more
proficient with Italian, I can learn a little more. I have an
Italian-Milanese dictionary, and a phrase book, that I found in  la
Libreria Milanese, via Meravigli, 18. 
Penso che sia un peccato che i dialetti stanno diventando  perduti,
soprattutto perché a volte hanno un splendido senso dell'umorismo.
 

 goes to mass sometimes.
Don't say that. If one says those words that doesn't mean he/she is not a
good person. If she were to use those words every two seconds, well, she
would be vulgar, that's for sure. But when one's angry, you know, these
things can happen. If one is *very* religious, it is probably never going
to happen, but it depends. In Veneto and Tuscany, for example, it's very
common to hear those words. *Very* common.
Quando ti ho detto di non dire quella parola, non era perché tu mi avessi
offeso. Molti si offendono, soprattutto se sono molto religiosi. Molti
altri considerano tali termini semplicemente di cattivo gusto.
Mi viene in mente il caso di un tizio del GF5 (Grande Fratello 5 - Italian
Big Brother) che, in diretta, ha tirato un bestemmione (perché incavolato,
non ricordo, non avendolo visto). L'hanno eliminato dal gioco. Ma hanno
tollerato altre cose *moooolto* più volgari, IMHO, che sono andate in onda
su Sky. Però, ok, il regolamento è il regolamento. E si era in diretta.
Poi, mi è stato detto, è stata trasmessa una sua intervista *umiliante*
dove l'hanno trattato da *demonio* chiedendogli come avrebbe fatto ora con
la sua famiglia, come li avrebbe guardati, ecc. E lui, pentito burattino
pilotato dalla produzione, si commiserava e si considerava al pari di una
merda.
Che schifo. Avrebbe dovuto rispondere che aveva le palle girate. Avrebbe
dovuto chiedere scusa all'Italia per il gesto. Ma avrebbe anche dovuto dire
che, dalle sue parti, tali termini sono *intercalari*, per molte persone. E
che non era poi tanto grave. E che, comunque, non avrebbe minimamente
influito sul suo rapporto con la moglie.
Suvvia, io sono ateo, e non bestemmio quasi mai, ma abitando in Veneto, ne
sento spesso. E, a volte, scappano. Ma se dovessi farmi quelle "seghe
mentali" (do you know the meaning of "seghe mentali"?) per ogni bestemmione
che mi è scappato davanti alla mia famiglia, beh, dovrei sotterrarmi.
Alle cose il giusto peso.
Ecco perché scrivere una bestemmia su un NG è "asking for trouble". Perché
sei pubblico. Come in TV (ancora peggio, visto il numero di utenti), o in
radio, o sul web, ecc.
Se sei tra amici e ti scappa il "moccolone" (slang for "big swear word" and
for "big piece of snot". Moccolo is the original word*), beh, non accadrà
probabilmente niente. Dipende dagli amici.
mòccolo
1 (= residuo di candela) candle-end
2 (= candela piccola) small candle
	reggere/tenere il moccolo to play gooseberry
3 (= bestemmia, popol) oath, curse
	mandare/dire moccoli to *let out/to utter oaths
4 (coll) nasal mucus, snot (slang)
	avere il moccolo al naso to *have a snotty nose.
Seghe mentali
sega: saw, but it's slang meaning is wank, handjob.
Mind the difference:
farsi una sega		to have a wank
fare sega		to play hooky. 	Si dice in mille modi, a seconda delle zone.
Fare fuga, fare berna, ecc. In italiano è "marinare la scuola".
Anyway, "mentale" means "mental", "of the mind".
"Sega mentale" è, letteralmente, "brain/mental wank", ovvero un
ragionamento inutile e contorto.
Si usa più spesso al plurale, "seghe mentali". Il senso è lo stesso. Uno
continua a fare inutili ragionamenti, inutili problemi, continua a
rimuginare, ecc. Spesso si sta facendo seghe mentali. Ma un ragionamento
contorto non è automaticamente una "sega mentale". Deve esser inutile, o
inutilmente contorto.
È un po' volgare. Lo puoi usare tra amici. Lo puoi scrivere, IMHO, in un NG
quando stai parlando in modo collquiale. Ma non al lavoro, ad esempio. È
una parola molto meno volgare rispetto a "sega" nel senso di "handjob".
"seghe mentali" l'ho usato molte volte, anche di fronte ai miei genitori.
Mia madre non l'ha mai usato, questo è poco ma sicuro. :)
Sebastiano

Seghe mentali
I'm trying to think of an equivalent in English...  but I can't right
now - maybe some others will have some input? 
Allora, grazie mille Sebastiano


'a pucchiacca = mona, a Napoli.
Joe from Massachusetts

 Ecco un termine che ho mai sentito...  what a wonderful image!
Hehe. There's a funny joke involving that thing.
A man dies and goes to Heaven. There he meets an old friend of him, who 
asks the man how he perished.
The man tells him he was walking on the street (or somewhere else, it 
depends on the version) when one of his balls suddenly swell. It swell 
that much that he's forced to lift it and carry it on his shoulder, in 
order to walk.
Few minutes later, his second ball swell too, and the man was forced to 
carry it on the other shoulder.
"Well, how did you die anyway?" his friend asks impatiently.
"Quando sono tornato a casa ho trovato mia moglie a letto con un altro e 
mi sono girate le palle"
(As I came home, I found my wife in bed with another man and *my balls 
started wheeling*   <=== thus he choked to death)
Nebo

 Allora, grazie mille Sebastiano
Prego. :)
Sebastiano

 'a pucchiacca = mona, a Napoli.
Ah, grazie. :)
Certo che un italiano che si fa spiegare un termine in napoletano da un
americano non si era mai visto. :D
Sebastiano

 su Sky.
They keep farting on each other's face! The blasphemous utterance may 
have hurted ppl's religious feelings, but THAT is far more...disgusting!
Dai, č roba da film dei Vanzina! Ho visto l'inizio di Natale in 
India....nei primi 5 minuti del film c'era:
- gente che ruttava
- un cane che defecava (materia liquida, oltreutto) e poi gettava la 
terra sporca in faccia due bambini che stavano giocando lě vicino (dai, 
ma neanche negli shit movie!)
- scorregge in ascensore
Non ce l'ho fatta a continuare. =____=
Nebo

 soprattutto perché a volte hanno un splendido senso dell'umorismo.
I dialetti sono sempre stati considerati in maniera negativa, sin 
dall'unità d'Italia.
In generale, perché considerati sinonimo di ignoranza; dopo l'unità, 
erano visti anche come un ostacolo all'unificazione culturale del Paese 
(l'italiano era conosciuto solo fra le classi colte, che però usavano, 
come tutti in Europa, il francese come lingua di cultura).
Il resto della popolazione conosceva spesso soltanto il dialetto del 
proprio paese, e al massimo qualche parola di italiano.
In seguito, sotto il fascismo, la situazione si inasprì e si cercò di 
bandire del tutto i dialetti e di cancellare le altre isole linguistiche 
(franco-provenzale in Val D'Aosta, tedesco e ladino in Alto-Adige, 
albanese e grico nel Sud, ecc.).
Da un estremo all'altro: oggigiorno troviamo le istanze leghiste, che 
pretendono che il dialetto venga insegnato ai bambini sin dalle 
elementari...o dalle medie, non ricordo.
Which is completely useless. Certo, è un peccato che i dialetti si 
vadano perdendo; ma non vedo l'utilità di insegnare già ai bambini una 
lingua che cmq non userebbero.
Nebo

 Mai stato a Napoli?  :>)
You probably meant "cacchiata / cacchiate".
The rule's the same as I described in my earlier post:
cacchiata < cacchio (cock)
Nebo

 to me. Not a clue. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nothing. Zip.
IIRC he was trying to tell you your hair was on fire.
-- 
This is my opinion of modern, colloquial, American English. 
If you feel the need to e-mail me, un-not my address first.

 lingua che cmq non userebbero.
Soprattutto se si considera che i bambini non parlano abbastanza bene
l'italiano. Il dialetto è bello ma è un lusso.
Ciao, FB
-- 
"Che cos'è un fallo da tergo? E non stiamo parlando della tua vita
privata."
(Intervista della Gialappa's Band a Elisabetta Canalis)

 have hurted ppl's religious feelings, but THAT is far more...disgusting!
In keeping with the nature of this NG:
"They keep farting *in* each other's faces!...utterance may have *hurt*
people's religious feelings..."
Keep at it!


Keep at it!
Damn, I love this group.
hehehe

non ricordo, non avendolo visto).
Era Guido, ha detto "porco dio" (lo guardo tutte le volte :))

 Era Guido, ha detto "porco dio" (lo guardo tutte le volte :))
Oh, c'mon, but don't y'all listen to me? Using those words on a NG is
asking for trouble, believe me. :)
Sebastiano

people's religious feelings..."
Here's some more essential English!!
"when one of his balls suddenly *swell. It *swell 
that much ..."
"Few minutes later, his second ball *swell too, and the man was
forced"
*Swells (plural) I hope you don't mind me correcting you Nebo.


wrote:

What have I done!!??
"lo guardo tutte le volte"?? can that be misconstrued as "I watch
*him* all the time" and not *it* like I intended?

 wrote in message
news:ho7up0d7avj7bii1s...@4ax.com...

If you feel obligated to allude to certain phrases for linguistic
purposes, you can say something like porco d** or d** can.  I think
some people would understand even if you just wrote p.d. and d.c.
When I was in the Veneto, "ostrega" and "ostregheta" were the
substitutes I used in polite society in place of swear words.  :>)
Joe from Massachusetts



Oh damn .. I've just read Joe's post, it was the  "porco d**" Sorry. I
didn't read all the thread.



Believe him.
Bye, FB
-- 
"Is this Miss Prism a female of repellent aspect, remotely connected with
education?" "She is the most cultivated of ladies, and the very picture of
respectability" "It is obviously the same person".
("The Importance of Being Earnest", Oscar Wilde)

jonny ha scritto:

Um, Jonny, I think he's referring to the "p-d" word.  :)


jonny ha scritto:

You're right, Jonny, but it's actually "swells" *singular* (as it relates
to the verb form.)
My balls swell. (plural)
My ball swells. (singular)
(Or, if you prefer, My balls are swell)  {This is a joke :) } 
No wonder people have trouble learning English.
For nouns, an ending in S usually means the plural.
For verbs, an ending in S usually means singular.
(NOTE: The operative word (the "important word") here is "usually.")


For verbs, an ending in S usually means singular.
Oh I knew that, I just didn't think :) 


 Keep at it!
Many thanks! ^____^
Nebo

 *Swells (plural) I hope you don't mind me correcting you Nebo.
This was intentional.
Actually, the whole sentence was meant to be written in past tense (it 
started with "The man tells him he *was walking* on the street...").
I checked my Oxford, looking for the simple past of "to swell", but I 
only found the past participle (swollen / swelled).
Don't know why, but i thought the simple past may have been just like 
the infinitive in this case. (swell swell swollen) Ź_Ź I don't know why 
I thought so.
Nebo

 *Swells (plural) I hope you don't mind me correcting you Nebo.
Plural?
(present tense)
His second ball swells;
His balls swell.
Did I get it wrong?
Nebo

 l'italiano. Il dialetto è bello ma è un lusso.
E che la maggior parte dei ragazzi lo considera una "cosa da vecchi".
:-(
Nebo

 Nebo
I can see where you might come to that conclusion, unfortunately it doesn't
work in this case.
Let's "parse" the joke again: :)
(Note that jokes often switch tenses without reason, jumping from present
tense to past tense and sometimes back again.)
"A man dies and goes to Heaven. There he meets an old friend of him, who 
asks the man how he perished.
(There he meets an old friend of *his*)
The man tells him he was walking on the street (or somewhere else, it 
depends on the version) when one of his balls suddenly swell. It swell 
(...when one of his balls suddenly swelled [up]. It swelled *so* much...)
that much that he's forced to lift it and carry it on his shoulder, in 
order to walk.
Few minutes later, his second ball swell too, and the man was forced to 
(*A* few minutes later, his second ball swelled, too,...)
carry it on the other shoulder."
I'm a bit amused by this switching of tenses in relating jokes. I've been
aware of it for a long time, and find it somewhat interesting a pattern.
The whole joke (above) could be told in the simple past, and would seem, to
me anyway, more coherent, but there is something about beginning the joke
in the present tense and then reverting to the past when referring to
actual conversation. <can you tell I'm bored today? It's a rainy Saturday.
Sigh.>


 Believe him.
There's no need to be threatening, FB.
Sebastiano

Did I get it wrong?
No, that's right.
"His second ball swells" (he/she/it: swells)
"His balls swell" (they: swell)



I'm FB, not F. Gotti or F. Gambino...
Bye, FB



It's not you who is offensive, it is the concept of "Ebonics" which is
offensive. It is a ridiculous attempt by certain blacks to exploit
other blacks by creating a pseudo-dialect called "Ebonics", and
attempting to have it legitimized by encouraging its study in the
schools.
Most American blacks think it is ridiculous, and often use the word
jokingly.
Most blacks think "Ebonics" is a stupid idea.
http://www.toptags.com/aama/voices/commentary/ebonics.htm
The name "Ebonics" comes from the color of ebony wood, which is often
used to describe the color of certain black people's skin.
Imagine if in Italy, in order to study the Italian language as spoken
by Chinese immigrants, a chair of "Studi Giallici" (Yellow Studies)
were set up at a major university.
I'm sure that Chinese immigrants have some speech patterns in Italian
which are peculiar to them, but this does not mean that they speak a
unique dialect of Italian. Just as this concept sounds totally
ridiculous to Italians, so does the concept of "Ebonics" to the
average American, of whatever race.
Joe from Massachusetts

 I'm FB, not F. Gotti or F. Gambino...
^_^
Sebastiano

I'm FB, not F. Gotti or F. Gambino...
Hey, I've sussed your email addy out "The Balducci crime Family!"

 blasphemous,
You got off very lightly, mate. A few months back I was triced up to
the grating and gven 100 lashes for exactly the same offence. I believe
Seba had my flogging in mind  :)
Cosi' si impara.
-- 
"The past resembles the future as water resembles water"  Ibn Khaldun
My .
mac.com
 address is a spam sink.
If you wish to email me, try atlothian at blueyonder dot co dot uk

 Cosi' si impara.
It's all due to cultural differences. The world is a wonderful place. I
don't know where else I'd be happier.
Here, using "Christ" or "Jesus" or any combination of the above is not all
that uncommon. Even "Jesus f*cking Christ" meaning no disrespect to the
Almighty, is common.
Why don't more people write in English here? Isn't the point to expose all
the wonderful visitors to English "as she is spoke"?
I'm sorry if I'm babbling now. I mentioned earlier that I was bored. Well,
it turns out the only remedy was a series of martinis, the last of which
sits before me just now. After which a visit to the local Chinese joint for
dinner will be followed by a visit to St. Bart's Episcopal Church for a
performance of "Fiorello" a musical about Fiorello LaGuardia, one of NYC's
more infamous mayors.


 on a NG is asking for trouble, believe me. :)
Si può scrivere "Codroipo", se proprio necessario.
:-)
-- 
Today no, tomorrow yes.

 :-(
Un vero peccato.
(Non sono leghista)


Il plurilinguismo allarga il cervello.
Agreed, it makes you broad-minded!
-- 
Enrico C  /testing Pimmy/
Reply to: enrico /dot/ c /at\ people \dot\ it
--
FREENET By X-Privat - 
http://www.x-privat.org/infofreenet.php


DeWopDee? You might just as well have said fiddle-de-dee.
It's Mr. DoWop Dee, I'll have you know.
Joe from Massachusetts


I agree.
Joe from Massachusetts


Lurking in newsgroups, I have noticed that in the newsgroups in the
Veneto, the dialect seems the preferred means of communication, unlike
in other parts of Italy.
I have even noticed in certain newsgroups that people sometimes
complain that the dialect is used too much.
Also, I notice that in certain newspapers in the Veneto, there is a
small section dedicated to the dialect, a sort of "word for the day",
which gives the meaning of words in the dialect.
Do the Northeasterners have more of a living dialect, or do they just
like it more, or have Goldoni and Radio Sboro kept the dialect alive?
Joe from Massachusetts


wrote:

I'm having a bit of a bad outing tonight.
Chiedo scusa Mr. DoWop Dee.

jonny ha scritto:

Non c'è di che, Jonny.


 Non c'č di che, Jonny.
"Non c'č di che" is usually... used as "you're welcome", "don't mention
it", that is after "grazie".
Bye, FB
-- 
"Che cos'č un fallo da tergo? E non stiamo parlando della tua vita


 it", that is after "grazie".
I was afraid of that. I was trying to work it out to ["Chiedi scusa di
che?] Non c'è di che."
How would I have said "Not a problem", "Don't worry about it"?


 How would I have said "Not a problem", "Don't worry about it"?
Perhaps "di niente" or, if it is a very important thing, "scuse accettate"
or "non devi scusarti".
Bye, FB
-- 
"The doctors found out that Bunbury could not live, that is what I mean—so
Bunbury died."
"He seems to have had great confidence in the opinion of his physicians."
("The Importance of Being Earnest", Oscar Wilde)

 Bye, FB
Okey-dokey. Thanks.


 > How would I have said "Not a problem", "Don't worry about it"?
In italiano colloquiale, si dice "no problem" :-)
-- 
Mary

 In italiano colloquiale, si dice "no problem" :-)
Hmm. Interesting. How is that pronounced?? :)


 Hmm. Interesting. How is that pronounced?? :)
"nò pròblem"
Sebastiano

Sebapop ha scritto:

Ah, I see; with two open-Os, unlike in English, which has the first closed,
the second open. :-p


 the second open. :-p
Here it would be [no 'prOblem]. I hate it!
Bye, FB
-- 
"Something to take to the country." (holding out a bunch of flowers)
"Flowers come _from_ the country, Charles."
(Cold Comfort Farm, the film)

 Bye, FB
Same here, as far as the stress goes.



In other words, just as the Italian words "no problema" omitting the final
"a".
-- 
Enrico C  /testing Pimmy/
 
This is my opinion of modern, colloquial, Italian Italian. 
If you feel the need to e-mail me, have a dish of spaghetti first.
Reply to: enrico /dot/ c /at\ people \dot\ it
--
X-Privat "FREE Usenet" - 
http://www.newsserver.it

 della scuola per quello.
Te lo raccomando! :-D L'italiano in TV non mi sembra proprio il massimo...
- quello parlato in film e telefilm, che sono per la maggior parte 
produzioni anglosassoni, ha una forma ed un lessico direttamente 
ricalcato dalle espressioni originali americane (un esempio per tutti: 
l'espressione "ehi, amico!")
- poi c'è l'italiano del GF e degli altri reality...e chi guarda Mai 
Dire GF sa bene cosa intendo.
Nebo

 wrote:

Il quale vuol dire, nella mia esperienza in Italia (e non solo in
Italia -- "no problem" e' diventato un risposto globale):
"Grossi problemi ci sono, ma non te ne diro' niente, e me ne frego."
Ma la frase italiana (e non importata) che [se mi e permesso tradurre
letteralmente l'inglese] ti manda il cuore agli stivali e':
"Ci penso io." Soprattutto se queste parole fatali vengono pronunciate
da un meccanico. O anchora peggiore, da un impegnato del Comune dove tu
hai bisogno di qualche burocrazia urgente.


 hai bisogno di qualche burocrazia urgente.
"Impiegato". Magari fossero impegnati...
-- 
Mary

In article <41A31525...@invalid.invalid>, Mary Cassidy
<ma...@invalid.invalid> wrote:

Oops. E bello!


hai bisogno di qualche burocrazia urgente.
"I'll take care of it."
?
-- 
Enrico C  /testing Pimmy/
Reply to: enrico /dot/ c /at\ people \dot\ it
--
GIGAMAIL By X-Privat - 
http://www.x-privat.org/gigamail.php

 ?
"Leave it with me" is the depressing British equivalent. 
-- 
Mary

In article <41A32D0A...@invalid.invalid>, Mary Cassidy
<ma...@invalid.invalid> wrote:

Indeed. Or even worse:
"I'll take care of it myself. No problem."




Lo sono, a spostare risme di fogli bianchi da una scrivania all'altra. Si
diventa credibili solo dopo mesi di allenamento.
Ciao, FB
-- 
Conversation like television set on honeymoon: unnecessary.
(Murder by Death)

"Mary Cassidy" <ma...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:41A32D0A...@invalid.invalid...

We say "Leave it to me" over here.
Joe from Massachusetts

 We say "Leave it to me" over here.
There's a slightly different nuance.
If someone says "leave it to me", it sounds quite promising. If they say
"leave it with me", I expect the file to disappear behind a dusty filing
cabinet.
-- 
Mary

 We say "Leave it to me" over here.
That's what I've always heard too

"Mary Cassidy" <ma...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:41A3A9A2...@invalid.invalid...

If someone says "I don't know how to take care of this problem", I
would say "Leave it to me", meaning "Don't worry about it, I'll take
care of it". For this meaning, I would never say "Leave it with me".
If someone says "I don't know what's wrong with this computer", I
might say "Leave it with me", meaning "Leave it here and I'll try and
fix it". If I were to say "Leave it to me" in this context, it would
mean that I would find a way of getting the computer problem fixed, in
one way or another, even though I might not yet know whether I or
someone else would be taking care of the problem, and the person with
the computer problem might well take the computer back home, while I
figured out the best way of dealing with the problem.
Joe from Massachusetts

 "Leave it with me" is the depressing British equivalent. 
I heard "leave it TO me" too. Is that corect?
Nebo

 letteralmente l'inglese] ti manda il cuore agli stivali
A noi invece in certe situazioni il cuore va in gola :-D
Nebo

 A noi invece in certe situazioni il cuore va in gola :-D
Whoops. Mistake....that's not the case. When your heart is in your 
boots, our arms fall down ^_^
Nebo