Part Two
Fillers words are words that ‘fill in’ silence when people are speaking. They are very common in informal language, and they come in handy when you’re thinking about what to say next.
Today we’ll learn the most common Italian filler words.
Photo by amirali mirhashemian on Unsplash
11. E QUANT’ALTRO = and so on, and more
C’era di tutto all’hotel: piscina, idromassaggio, sauna e quant’altro – There was everything in the hotel: swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and more.
Se vuoi fare il tiramisù devi prima comprare le uova, il mascarpone, i savoiardi e quant'altro – If you want to make tiramisu you must first buy the eggs, mascarpone, ladyfingers and so on.
12. ECCO = I mean, there!
Certo che, ecco, poteva evitare di mettersi il pigiama a righe e le pantofole per andare da Bunnings – I mean, okay, he could avoid putting on his striped pyjamas and slippers to go to Bunnings.
Mi piace la musica di Justin Bieber e non mi interessa cosa pensa la gente! Ecco! Finalmente l’ho detto! – I like Justin Bieber's music and I don't care what people think! There you have it! I finally said it!
13. Ehm = um, uh
A: Hai spento il forno prima di uscire? B: Um… forse è meglio che torniamo a casa – A: Did you turn off the oven before going out? B: Um… maybe it's better that we go home.
14. Fammi pensare = let me think, let me see
A: Qual è il tuo ristorante italiano preferito ad Adelaide? B: Fammi pensare… A: What is your favourite Italian restaurant in Adelaide? B: Let me think…
15. Guarda = look
Guarda, non so davvero cosa dire – Look, I really don't know what to say.
16. Insomma = well, in short
Insomma, cosa ti ha detto? – Well, what did he tell you?
A: Ti e' piaciuto il Sud Italia? B: Ho trovato gente accogliente, cibo delizioso e monumenti incredibili...insomma, un paradiso! – A: Did you like Southern Italy? B: I found welcoming people, delicious food and incredible monuments...in short, a paradise!
17. MA DAI = really?!
A: Ha mollato tutto e si è trasferita in Portogallo. B: Ma dai?! – A: She dropped everything and moved to Portugal. B: Really?!
18. Mah = who knows, well.
A: Che cosa gli è passato per la testa a comprarsi una moto? B: Mah, sarà la crisi di mezza età… – A: What went through his mind (when he decided) to buy a motorcycle? B: Well, it must be the midlife crisis…
A: Pensi che verrà? B: Mah! Speriamo! – A: Do you think he’ll come? B: Who knows! Let's hope so!
Do not confuse ‘mah’ with ‘maaa’.
‘Maaa’ (from ma=but) is one of my favourite Italian filler words. Every time something is not working or doesn’t go as expected, you will hear me saying “Maaa…”.This is the Italian way of saying: “What’s going on?”
For example, when I write on my whiteboard during my lessons, sometimes I turn around and realize I wrote in a spot that my camera doesn’t reach so my students can’t see it. That’s when you’ll hear me saying: “Maaa!!!”
19. Mica = at all
Sa quello che fa. Non è mica scema! – She knows what she's doing. She's not silly at all!
Mica male! = Not bad!
Ha vinto tre partite di seguito! Mica male per un principiante! – He won three games in a row! Not bad for a beginner!
20: MMM = hmm
A: Com’era la pizza? B: Mmm… preferisco non esprimermi – A: How was the pizza? B: Hmm… I prefer not to say anything.
A: Dove vuoi andare? B: Mmm… non so. Fammi pensare… A Las Vegas! – A: Where do you want to go? B: Hmm… I don't know. Let me think… To Las Vegas!
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Thanks for reading, I'll see you all next month!
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Kyara e l'Anello degli Antenati by Saveria Parisi - ITALIAN version
Kyara e i Guerrieri di Pietra by Saveria Parisi – ITALIAN version
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