Have you ever thought about learning Italian sayings?
There are loads of little expressions that Italians use all the time – whether you’re having a chat, feeling irritated, taking a little walk… there’s a saying you can use to talk about your everyday life.
And you might notice that many of them contain numeri – numbers!
So in this lesson, you’ll learn 10 simple Italian sayings. And, perhaps most importantly, how to slide them into conversation so you can impress your friends with your new-found colloquial Italian.
But for now, let’s start with the funniest (and possibly most common) one…
Che due palle! – This sucks! How annoying!
When Italians are dealing with a frustrating situation, you’ll probably hear this mild curse phrase. It literally means ‘what two balls’, referring to male genitalia, so, as you can imagine, it’s best reserved for informal conversations with people you know very well.
For example:
Non trovo il mio portafoglio, che due palle! – I can’t find my wallet… this sucks!
Guarda il traffico! Che due palle! – Look at the traffic! How annoying!
If you’re in polite company, there’s a safe version you can use – che due scatole – which literally means ‘what two boxes’.
A: Abbiamo perso l’autobus – We missed the bus.
B: Che due scatole. – What a hassle.
Fare due passi – Take a short walk
If you want to enjoy a quick stroll in Italy, you can fare due passi. It literally means ‘take two steps’, and is commonly used when you want to get some fresh air or clear your mind – or to help you digest that big Italian lunch!
For example:
Ti va di fare due passi? – Do you feel like taking a quick walk?
Dopo cena facciamo due passi al parco. – After dinner we go for a little stroll in the park.
A due passi – A very short distance
And as you’re taking a stroll around an Italian neighbourhood, this phrase will come in handy. A due passi, literally “at two steps”, means that a place is nearby – it’s perfect for giving directions!
For example:
A: Scusi, dov’è il supermercato? – Excuse me, where’s the supermarket?
B: Va’ dritto. È a due passi. – Go straight on. It’s very close.
Or you could use it to talk about a nice local restaurant:
C’è un buon ristorante a due passi da qui
There’s a nice restaurant a stone’s throw from here
In due parole – In a nutshell
Do you ever find yourself struggling to get your words out in Italian? Instead of going for long and complicated phrases, try expressing yourself in a short and simple way. This phrase will help! The literal translation is “in two words”, and it means “in short” or “in a nutshell”.
For example:
Katie: Com’è andato il viaggio a Napoli?
Katie: How was your trip to Naples?
Matteo: Bene, grazie! In due parole… ho mangiato e ho dormito.
Matteo: Good, thanks! In short… I ate and I slept.
By using this expression, you’ll buy yourself some time, and impress Italians by communicating precisely and succinctly.
Su due piedi – Off the top of my head
This phrase is perfect for when someone asks you a tricky question and you need to answer immediately. Su due piedi literally means “on two feet”, and it’s similar to “on the spot” or “off the top of my head”. Use it to explain that you're speaking without much thought or preparation.
For example:
A: Conosci una buona pizzeria in questo quartiere?
A: Do you know a good pizzeria in this neighbourhood?
B: Hmmm, su due piedi… c’è ‘Sorbillo’. È una pizzeria napoletana.
B: Hmm, off the top of my head… there’s ‘Sorbillo’. It’s a neapolitan pizzeria.
Due risate – a good laugh
When you’re having a good laugh with friends, you can use the phrase due risate, which literally translates to ‘two laughs’. Here’s an example:
Ho provato a fare la pasta fresca…
I tried to make fresh pasta…
È stato un disastro ma almeno abbiamo fatto due risate!
It was a disaster but at least we had a good laugh!
There are a couple of extra details to watch out for in this expression. Firstly, we use the verb fare (to do). Italians don’t ‘have a good laugh’… they literally “do two laughs”.
Secondly, in this expression, the verb fare is often reflexive, which means that it travels with those little words – mi, ti, si, ci and vi:
Mi faccio due risate – I have a good laugh
Ti fai due risate – You have a good laugh
Si fa due risate – S/he has a good laugh
Ci facciamo due risate – We have a good laugh
Vi fate due risate – You (plural) have a good laugh
Si fanno due risate – They have a good laugh
If you’re not familiar with this grammar and it feels confusing to you, non c’è problema, no problem. You can skip this phrase and come back to it in future.
So far, you’ve learned a lot of phrases with the number two, so let’s move onto the number three. Especially because, as we say in Italian… there is no two without three!
Non c’è due senza tre – Things come in threes
This lovely proverb suggests that when something happens twice, it's likely to happen a third time. It literally means ‘there is no two without three’ and it’s similar to the English expression ‘good/bad things come in threes’.
For example:
Ordiniamo una terza birra? Non c’è due senza tre!
Shall we order a third beer? Good things come in threes!
Stai attento! Hai appena perso il passaporto e i soldi e non c’è due senza tre.
Be careful! You’ve just lost your passport and your money and bad things come in threes.
Fare quattro chiacchiere – Have a chat
Italians are very sociable, so it’s always fun to fare quattro chiacchiere with them. This expression literally means ‘to do four chats’ – use it to describe a friendly conversation where you’re just chatting about anything and everything.
For example:
Stiamo facendo quattro chiacchiere al pub, vuoi venire?
We’re having a chat at the pub, do you want to come?
Interestingly, you can also use this expression with the number two: fare due chiacchiere. The meaning is the same.
Quattro gatti – A handful of people
Do you prefer big get-togethers with lots of people, or intimate gatherings with only four cats? Quattro gatti literally means ‘four cats’ and Italians use this cute expression to talk about situations where there are only a few people.
For example:
Com’è quel ristorante? Ci sono solo quattro gatti lì dentro.
How’s that restaurant? There are only a handful of people in there.
Ho visitato il Colosseo presto e per fortuna c’erano solo quattro gatti.
I visited the Colosseum early and luckily there were only a handful of people.
Dare il cinque – Give a high five
To congratulate someone for doing something awesome, you can give them a high five, just like in English! To invite someone to high five you, you can literally say ‘give me the five’ – dammi il cinque. This expression is best used in informal situations with people you know well.
For example:
Il tuo italiano è migliorato molto, dammi il cinque!
Your Italian has improved a lot, gimme five!
Now it’s time to dare il cinque to you…
Conclusion
Well done for learning these 10 Italian sayings with numbers! As well as being useful in everyday conversations, these expressions will help you speak in a natural way and show your understanding of Italian culture.
We want to help you remember them, so let’s do a quick review, then you can move onto our quiz below to test your new Italian skills.
Italian Sayings With Numbers: Review
Che due palle – This sucks (lit. what two balls)
Che due scatole – What a hassle (lit. what two boxes)
Fare due passi – Take a short walk (lit. do two steps)
A due passi – A short distance away (lit. at two steps)
In due parole – In a nutshell (lit. in two words)
Su due piedi – Off the top of my head (lit. on two feet)
Due risate – A good laugh (lit. two laughs)
Non c’è due senza tre – Things come in threes (lit. there is no two without three)
Fare quattro chiacchiere – Have a chat (lit. do four chats)
Quattro gatti – A handful of people (lit. four cats)
Dare il cinque – Give a high five (lit. give the five)
Vocabulary: 10 Italian Sayings with Numbers That Will Impress Your Friends
Che due palle = This sucks (lit. what two balls
Che due scatole = What a hassle (lit. what two boxes)
Fare due passi = Take a short walk (lit. do two steps)
In due parole = In a nutshell (lit. in two words)
Non c’è due senza tre = Things come in threes (lit. there is no two without three)
Quattro gatti = A handful of people (lit. four cats)
Dare il cinque = Give a high five (lit. give the five)
A due passi = A short distance away (lit. at two steps)
Su due piedi = Off the top of your head (lit. on two feet)
Due risate = A good laugh (lit. two laughs)
Fare quattro chiacchiere = Have a chat (lit. do four chats)
Quiz: 10 Italian Sayings with Numbers That Will Impress Your Friends
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: 10 Italian Sayings with Numbers That Will Impress Your Friends
Flashcards: 10 Italian Sayings with Numbers That Will Impress Your Friends
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Transcript: 10 Italian Sayings with Numbers That Will Impress Your Friends
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
I was in two minds about today’s topic because it’s quite specific. Rather than teaching Italian sayings in general, we’re zeroing in on the ones that contain numbers. But then on second thoughts, I realised that actually, they’re important to learn, because we use them all the time.
M: Ha! Did you hear what Katie did there?
K: In two minds, zero in on, on second thoughts… we’re constantly using sayings with numbers!
M: And in Italian, we probably use them even more. So today, you’ll learn the most useful ones for everyday interactions.
K: Let’s listen to a conversation – how many sayings with numbers can you hear?
M: Katie, tutto bene?
K: Sono un po’ giù. Cosa posso fare?
M: Umm, così su due piedi, non lo so. Puoi… chiamare un amico?
K: Posso prendere una birra con Ced. Vive a due passi da qui.
M: Sì, così fate quattro chiacchiere e due risate.
K: Ottima idea!
K: Let’s break that down. Matteo said:
M: Tutto bene? - Is everything ok? Literally
Tutto – all
Bene – ok
K: Then I said:
M: Sono un po’ giù – I’m a bit down
Sono – I am
Un po’ – a bit
Giù – down
M: Cosa posso fare? – What can I do
Cosa – what
Posso – I can
Fare – do
K: Matteo’s not sure how to help at first. He says:
Così su due piedi – Off the top of my head. Literally:
Così – like this
Su – on
Due – two
Piedi – feet
K: Su due piedi, literally “on two feet”, means “off the top of my head”, or “on the spot”. To come up with something right that second, without any preparation.
M: Su due piedi (x2)
K: It often starts with così, which means “like this”. As in, “just like this, off the top of my head… I don’t know”
M: Così su due piedi… non lo so.
K: In fact, Matteo then said:
M: Non lo so – I don’t know. Literally:
Non – not
Lo – it
So – I know
K: That’s how Italians say “I don’t know” – it’s best just to learn the whole phrase: non lo so. Then Matteo suggests:
M: Puoi… chiamare un amico? – You can… call a friend?
Puoi – you can
Chiamare – call
Un amico – a friend
K: I like that idea, and take it further:
Posso prendere una birra con Ced – I can have a beer with Ced
Posso – I can
Prendere – take (in Italian, we don’t have food and drink, we take it)
Una birra – a beer
Con – with
Ced – Ced
K: Ced is our friend who lives just down the road. In fact, then I say:
Vive a due passi da qui – he lives just down the road from here. Literally:
Vive – he lives
A – at
Due – two
Passi –steps
Da – from
Qui – here
K: A due passi, literally “at two steps”, means “a short distance away”. You might be wondering: “why do we say “at” as in “at two steps”? This is one of those moments where it’s best not to stress about the logic and just learn the phrase as a whole:
M: A due passi (x2)
K: Then Matteo says:
M: Sì, così fate quattro chiacchiere – Yeah, this way you can have a chat
Sì – Yes
Così – like this, or in this way
Fate – you do. This is the plural ‘you’, when speaking to two or more people: fate
Quattro – four
Chiacchiere – chats
K: The phrase is: Fare quattro chiacchiere, literally “to do four chats”.
M: Fare quattro chiacchiere (x2)
K: It means to have an informal chat with someone. Interestingly, you can also say due chiacchiere, two chats. The meaning is the same.
The pronunciation of chiacchiere, chats, can be a bit tricky at first. Let’s break it down: There’s a K followed by a Y in the first two parts. KYA – KYE (x 2). The whole word is KYA – KYE – REH.
M: Chiacchiere (x2)
K: Have a chat, literally “do four chats”
M: Fare quattro chiacchiere
K: Then Matteo says:
E due risate – and some laughs. Literally:
E – and
Due – two
Risate – laughs
K: Due risate. Literally “two laughs”, we use it to mean “a good laugh”.
M: Due risate (x2)
K: I agree, so I say:
M: Ottima idea! – Great idea!
Ottima – great
Idea – idea
K: Let’s review our four common Italian sayings with numbers. First you learned “off the top of my head”. Literally “on two feet”:
[...]
M: Su due piedi (x2)
K: A short distance away, literally “at two steps”
[...]
M: A due passi (x2)
K: To have a chat, literally “to do four chats”
[...]
M: Fare quattro chiacchiere (x2)
K: And a good laugh, literally “two laughs”
[...]
M: Due risate (x2)
K: Now you know them all, let’s listen to the conversation again:
M: Katie, tutto bene?
K: Sono un po’ giù. Cosa posso fare?
M: Umm, così su due piedi, non lo so. Puoi… chiamare un amico?
K: Posso prendere una birra con Ced. Vive a due passi da qui.
M: Sì, così fate quattro chiacchiere e due risate.
K: Ottima idea!
M: Did you know that there are actually a few more sayings with numbers that we Italians use all the time in conversation?
K: To learn them and get the bonus materials for this episode, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description.
M - See you next time.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
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