Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: "Bah"

So "Beh" = "well," "boh"= "dunno", ma che significa "bah" in italiano?

So "Beh" = "well," "boh"= "dunno", ma che significa "bah" in italiano?
bóh
int don't know, who knows, no idea.
bèh
int anche (coll) be’ 
1 (= bene, coll) well
2 (= ebbene/allora) well, then, so.
bah
int bah, pah.
It's an expression of annoyance or disapproval.
That's it. We don't have bih and buh. :)
We have "bu". That's when you're booing someone. Some might write bu
to represent barking, but the common word for that is "bau".
And there's bi, but it's only the second letter of the alphabet and
not a sexual orientation.
Sebastiano

Sebastiano
Grazie

Grazie
Prego!
Sebastiano

 Ho capito, come direbbe Scrooge, Bah Humbug!.
Yep, "frottole"! :)
"Bah" expresses disbelief, together with annoyance and disapproval.
There is a negative attitude of doubt, skepticism, impatience,
sometimes resignation. 
Zanichelli translates the Italian Bah! with Phooey!, but I think
Phooey is stronger. I
"Bah" is an English word as well, according to the Encarta dictionary:
"expression of disgust: used to express scornful irritation, disgust,
or contempt".
There is also "Mah!", that means "who knows?" and expresses some
perplexity.
 

 So "Beh" = "well," "boh"= "dunno", ma che significa "bah" in italiano?
bah can mean either disapproval or skepticism.
if you deplore something you're talking over with a friend, for example,
you can say "bah", the sound will be quite rough.
Instead if you are skeptical about something like recent discoveries (take
cloning for example, or something else you're not sure about) , politics and
stuff...the sound will be slightly different, like a doubtful exclamation.
hope it's fine. :-)

 His full name - Scrooge McDuck - is Paperon de Paperoni.
I think he was talking about Ebenezer Scrooge!!
Ciao, FB
-- 
Se dico "siedi!" manca l'oggetto.
Siedo chi? Lei o me?
(da it.cultura.linguistica.italiano)

I think he was talking about Ebenezer Scrooge!!
Oh.
Sebastiano

I think he was talking about Ebenezer Scrooge!!
Ero :)



Yes, thank you.

Ero :)
Well, at least mine was a scrooge too. ;)
Sebastiano

 Ero :)
In this case Italians wouldn't say "Ero" :-)
We would say, for instance,
"Si`." or "Si`, quello." or "Esatto" or "Si`, intendevo proprio quello."  
Anyway, the "was" in "he was talking" transates with the Italian verb
"stare", not with "essere".
So FB's sentence translates with "Penso che stesse parlando di
Ebenezer Scrooge!!", or, in a more colloquial form, "Penso che stava
parlando di Ebenezer Scrooge!!"
 

parlando di Ebenezer Scrooge!!"
Brrr, forma che non tutti accettano. Io non la userei mai, non mi
verrebbe spontanea nemmeno se stessi parlando in un contesto
assolutamente informale. E mi stride ogni volta che la sento.
Sebastiano

 
I finding Italian gerunds a bit confusing. I know to use "stare" with
them, but I have a book that says "Io Parlo" means "I am speaking" as
well as "I speak" , so why use "sto parlando"?

 well as "I speak" , so why use "sto parlando"?
About past events:
 you can usually use "stavo parlando" (or "stessi parlando", if
"congiuntivo" is needed) when you would use "I was speaking" in
English. 
I don't see much difference in usage. Anyway, someone else might point
out major differences I overlooked, so wait for other opinions :)
About present events:
"sto parlando" means the same as "parlo", and in many cases you can
use either form, but the more appropriate depends on context.
Compare
"Giovanni sta parlando al telefono."
[comment: He is talking just now,]
"Giovanni sta parlando al telefono da ore."
[comment: He has been talking for hours, and he still is]
"Giovanni parla al telefono per ore e ore."
[comment: Giovanni happens to make very long phone calls]
"Parla al telefono con la fidanzata tutti i giorni"
[comment: Usual action]
"Mary di solito lavora a Roma, ma ora sta lavorando a Milano."
[comment: Rome is the place where she usually works, she is working in
Milano now]
Hope that helps :)

 wrote:

I'm sure it will, thanks for your help.

 That's it. We don't have bih and buh. :)
They do say "bih" in Sicily, e.g.: "Bih, chi cammurrìa!" ("Sh*t, what a
mess!").
Someone explained me that "bih" is an alteration of the more vulgar "mih",
which is itself an alteration of "minchia", which is the Sicilian for
"cazzo", which I won't translate as I guess it's one of the first few words
one learns in Italian as a second language...
Ciao.
Marco
--------------------------------
Inviato via 
http://arianna.libero.it/usenet/

 Phooey is stronger. I
Don't say "phooey" in the states unless you intend to get a laugh. :)
-- 
The foregoing is my opinion, and my opinion alone. It is intended to
demonstrate modern American English -- spoken, for the most part; not
literary American English. Ergo, caveat lector. (No, not you, Hannibal)

Don't say "phooey" in the states unless you intend to get a laugh. :)
Has this got anything to do with the No.1 super guy, who's quicker
than the human eye?


I've just had to look it up ;)

mess!").
Great, now we only need buh. :)
Sebastiano



Or the Three Stooges. One of their "songs" went something like:
B-A Bay
B-E Bee
B-I Bicky-Bye
B-O Bo
Bicky-bye-bo B-U Boo,
Bicky-Bye-Bo Boo.
(Not that *I* ever watched the Three Stooges. I just read the reviews.)


(Not that *I* ever watched the Three Stooges. I just read the reviews.)
Yes, don't you worry, we won't tell anybody.
Sebastiano

 something like "bie aaa bie a bie bu bie". I don't know the title -
Dev'essere la sigla del cartone "Bia e la sfida della magia"
http://digilander.libero.it/micetta84/bialasfida.htm
:-)
-- 
Ciao,
Anna


http://digilander.libero.it/micetta84/bialasfida.htm
Sě! Č lei. :)
Grazie mille.
Sebastiano