So, as we move along Italian, soaking in gestures and pronunciation, there is one more curious linguistic trait the Italian language possesses. I mean, it actually exists in other languages too, you know, and by the way I designed this sentence, well, I think you know what I'm talking about — fillers. Fillers are words or phrases used in speech to fill pauses, hesitation, or gaps in conversation. In English such words would be: you know, I mean, so, well, say, now, actually, like, um, etc.
You know the value of these little "nuggets of speech" in your own language, and it is the same for Italian. Firstly, they give you a beat to compose yourself and organize your thoughts in a neat idea. And secondly, although overloading one's message with fillers only contaminates the speech, those who manage to use them smartly and in moderation sound more native-like, which is what all the learners of a new language strive for. And Italian is rich in fillers, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to show off your skills.
Now, how about we dig into that "juicy" bit in detail and learn why you can hear an ominous "Die!" all over the Italian streets, even shouted between little children and sweet old ladies, what figs and cabbages have to do with daily conversations, and how wolves' mouths and luck are connected?
It sounds like "Die!" to an English-speaking (English-listening?) ear, but delicious Italian isn't bloodthirsty. Dai is the first filler we get to meet, and it means simply "give" in its imperative form (which surprised me as exactly the same word with exactly the same meaning exists in Russian! Дай!). But when dai takes on the role of a filler, it translates as "come on" like when you're trying to convince someone to do something: Dai, andiamo! ("Come on, let's go!").
— Andiamo in Sicilia. — No. — Daaai!
— Let's go to Sicily. — No. — Pleeease!
Attention: dai can be spiced up to acquire a certain "flavor"! Add the Italian "but" before it, and you get an expression of disbelief, surprise, astonishment as in you can't believe what you hear or see (somewhat close in the vibe to the incredulous English "Are you kidding me?"):
— Io preferisco la pizza americana. — Ma dai!
— I prefer American pizza. — Oh come on!
And with a pinch of the Italian "and" you get a word expressing annoyance, irritation, impatience:
— Non è giusto però! — E dai! Smettila.
— But it’s not fair! — Come on! Stop that.
Another great Italian filler, the most frequent one, that in itself can represent the whole language is Allora. In most cases, it works just like the English word "then" (for both meanings: "in this case" and "at that time"), but the magic is hidden in the delicate ways one can use this word depending on, as Linda Falcone, the Italian author, put it, "who you are and how you say it". Consider this description:
"In Italy, when a person has no idea what to say, they usually start with allora. Allora is well-versed on versatility. Adaptable as water, it conforms itself to almost any scenario. In Italy, when a teacher yells ‘allora!’ it means you’d better sit up and shut up. Trouble’s a-coming. When your colleague says allora, it means your meeting might actually start going somewhere. Put your ears back on and start listening again. For my grandfather allora served innumerable purposes. It was ‘let’s see now’ and ‘let’s get to the bottom of this.’ Allora was ‘what do you think?’ and ‘where do we go from here?’ Allora was what he said every time he sat on his stool to make a new mirror. It was a word the man used to collect his strength, the prelude to all creative effort. But it was also the culmination of a job that pleased him."
The dictionary says Allora means "so" or "thus", but as you read in the native take on it above, it's much more than that. However, to start you off on your own Langventure into Italian with an easy tip, I'd say that in the vast majority of times allora is used to introduce a topic or an idea, get someone's attention, or start a question or a sentence:
— Allora, cominciamo la lezione...
— Well, let’s start the class...
— Allora? Sei pronto?
— Well? Are you ready?
And again, learning about allora, especially through Linda's eyes, I couldn't shake the feeling off that it seems to function just the same way as the Russian word Так (tuk). I mean, replace allora with так in her description above, and that's exactly how this Russian filler would be used in all of the mentioned cases — curious, huh?
Now back to Italian: let's get the pronunciation of this ubiquitous filler right with a short video here (00:55):
When you're searching to clarify some information you have just provided, use the Italian filler Cioè to do so: cho-eh. It consists of two words pressed together: ciò ("this") and è ("is") — which can be translated as "in other words", "I mean", "that is (to say)". Cioè also helps you add more information, or take some time thinking what to say next, just like "I mean" does in English, and it can be used in the shape of a question to ask further explanation/information about something which isn't clear:
— Vado a Italia in estate. — Cioè, dove?
— I go to Italy next summer. — Where exactly in Italy? (You mean, where?)
— Mi sbagliavo su di lui. — Cioè?
— I was wrong about him. — What do you mean?
By the way, I was again surprised by the semblance between this Italian filler and the Russian one that has exactly the same meaning, also made out of two words with the exactly same translations as the Italian ones (but using Russian words, of course), and sound, at least to my Russian ear, quite similar: то есть (toh est'). Who knew that Italian and Russian have so much in common! Now Toto's popularity and power over Russian soul makes total sense! :)
Vabbè. Short for va bene ("okay"). Translates as "whatever" and is used to express acceptance, often half-heartedly, somewhat reluctantly: Vabbè, se ci tieni tanto… ("Alright, if that’s what you want…") — or to minimize something that has been said: Vabbè, dai, non era così male. ("Well, it wasn’t that bad after all") And with a help of a "no" you can also turn it into an expression, used to express reaction to a shocking or unexpected event: Cioè no vabbè, raga, non potete capire. ("I mean…guys…you cannot understand.")
Beh/Bè. Comes from the same places as va bene and means "well". It can also be used to encourage, urge someone to answer: Andiamo al cinema stasera? Beh?!? ("Are we going to the movies tonight? So?!?") —or to show disagreement with someone else's opinion: Beh.. Il piatto non mi è piaciuto. ("Meh.. I didn't like the dish.")
Boh. It seems that its origin is onomatopoeic, cioè ("i.e.") the transcription of the sound people emit when they want to express uncertainty. It translates as "I don't know" and people actually use it to replace the longer version of Non lo so), but it also can mean "Who knows" or even "Meh".
Italian has such a wide range of fillers to choose from, there really should be a short course on it. With all the slang words and options out there the list only grows. To help you not to drown in all of that endless flair, I'd suggest you take them all in as they come to you and gradually commit them to your own active vocabulary. Surely, you start with learning they even exist and take an important place in Italian speech.
And the best, most informative and useful video on that I could find was the one made by Alberto with 10 great Italian words and expressions to make your Langventure fun. I love it that now I can use cabbage to swear and figs to approve! It's worth your time, too (06:57):
It turns out the wish of luck using the threat of a wolf — In bocca al lupo ("into the wolf's mouth") comes from theatre and is similar to the English "break a leg". Only in the Italian version you get to fight back: Crepi (il lupo) — "may the wolf die".
Insomma ("so", or literally, "to sum up"), even with all of the various fillers this little Episode has covered already, ecco ("there it is"; "well" as an opener, "you know" in the mid-sentence, "that's exactly it!" as an interjection), there are still oceans of them out there. And if I got you excited to learn more, poi ("then", "later") my mission is done here, quindi ("so", "then", "therefore") I leave to make your own dive into the depths of Italian fillers with a warm and kind wish from the bottom of my heart:
Il bocca al lupo! (Eel boh-kuh ul loo-poh!) Good luck!
"Crepi! Crepi! And I'll pass this great Episode along to my friends!"
Discover more about Italian and other languages at langventure.mystrikingly.com!
