A great way to learn Italian

Since the early 1980s, Italian Christmas movies, or “Cinepanettone,” have been an integral part of the Italian culture. These movies are intended to be lighthearted, romantic comedies, which take place at ski resorts or other exotic locations frequented by wealthy Italians during Christmas week.*  Hence, the moniker coined for this frivolous genre combines the Italian abbreviation for “film,” “cine,” with the beloved Northern Italian Christmas sweet bread, “panettone.”*

The comedy of every  Cinepanettone movie has its roots in Italian stereotypes. The vacation set-up is used to caricature and poke fun at Italian families from different walks of life, who meet at the same venue per caso (coincidentally) during their Christmas vacation. Exaggeration of north-south cultural and linguistic differences, slap-stick humor, and a bit of female nudity keep a simplistic plot rolling.  A New York Times article from December 31, 2023 aptly captured the spirit of the Cinepanettone genre with it’s title: “Italy’s Favorite Holiday Movies?  Think Naughty, Not Nice.”

For those who appreciate the many great films Italy has produced,  the question arises: why watch Italian films of this genre? In fact, the older Cinepanettone movies were not made for overseas consumption and most have not been released with English subtitles. And, of course, these films were not made for children and were not intended to be politically correct. But, over the years, films with a similar formula have amassed a following in Italy and continue to resurface during Christmastime. For the Italophile, Cinepannetoni provide a unique look into modern Italian culture and language. Given the simplicity of the characters of the Cinepanettone genre, it follows that the dialogue is comprised mainly of short Italian phrases and common expressions of the day. In short, Cinepanettone movies provide a great way to learn Italian!

A recent Italian Christmas movie from Netflix, Natale a 5 Stelle, or Five Star Christmas, uses the Cinepanettone formula to skewer Italian politicians, along with the usual rich-poor, north-south Italian themes.  The first 17 minutes (up to “Eccomi!”)  is G-rated and provides a wealth of Italian language points.

Italian movies are a great way to discover
how to Italians speak today!

Sit back, relax, and learn every day Italian phrases
while being entertained!

In the next section of this blog, you will find some important Italian language points underlying the simple Italian conversations of the characters in Natale a 5 Stelle.  Most of these points have been reviewed in previous blogs in this series, which are referenced to provide a more in depth-look if desired. Use this blog as a review of every day Italian phrases and sentence structure.  And then, if you want, try to use similar phrases in your own Italian conversations to really sound like a native Italian!

 

Italian Christmas Movie Expressions

 

Meeting and Greeting/ Leaving a Gathering

Arrivo!
I’m on my way!
(Don’t use venire (to come) to create a phrase that corresponds to the American way of thinking. Italians use arrivare (to arrive) to describe the act of going to meet another person right away.) (Link for a more in-depth explanation: “To Go and Return in Italian”)

Ho sentito parlare molto bene di Lei.
-or-
Ho sentito molte belle cose su di Lei.
I’ve heard many good things about you. (Link to more expressions used at gatherings: “The Holidays in Italy”)

Devo scappare!
I have to run! (Italians use the verb scappare, which literally means “to escape,” while English speakers use the verb “to run” for this expression.)

 

 

General Italian Phrases

Vedrai!
You’ll see! (Link: “Italian Family Conversations”)

Un sacco di pensieri. / Un sacco di problematiche. / Un sacco di soldi. 
A “ton of” thoughts. /  A “ton of” problems.” / A “ton of” cash. — Italians use “un sacco di,” which literally means “a sack full of”  to signify “an overwhelming amount of / a lot,” similar to the English phrase “a ton of,” as in, “I’ve got a ton of things to do today.” (Link for another use: “Benvenuto Natale”)

 

 

Common Italian Endings 

Italians commonly add endings to nouns and adjectives to change their meaning, often in a very creative, emphatic way.  In order to know which Italian words can be used with a special ending, it is best to listen to a native speaker, as there are no hard and fast rules for their use.

For instance, the Italian -issimo ending is often added for emphasis.  An adjective given this ending translates into “very” and is called a “relative superlative” in grammatical terms.  But, somehow, the intonation Italians give the word they’ve added this ending to implies more than just the English “very,” and instead seems to signify “the most ever.” The -issimo ending crops up in many different situations, which may seem unexpected and a bit over-done to the English sensibility.

An important example of the use of –issimo comes up early in Natale a 5 Stelle, when the President questions his assistant Walter’s allegiance.  To emphasize he is faithful to the President, Walter declares this not with a simple, “Yes, I am faithful to you,” with the polite,  “Si, sono fedele a Lei,” but instead uses the noun, “Fedelissimo!” with great vocal emphasis. Walter is the most faithful to the President that one can possibly be. There is nothing more he can say!

On the other hand, if something is to be de-emphasized, or made smaller, the Italian ending -ino is added.

In the opening scene, the hostess at the airport asks the President and Walter if they would like “un Prosecchino” or “a little bit of/ a small glass of Prosecco” prior to their flight.  By using this ending, she seems to be cajoling them into accepting some sparkling wine by implying something like, “It’s just a little bit to enjoy — take it, it won’t hurt you!”

 

 

Common Italian Commands

Dimmi! / Mi dica! 
Tell me! Familiar and formal commands in Italian that mean the same thing in English (Link: Familiar Italian Commands)

“Da un’occchiata!” is the formal command form of the common phrase “dare un’occhiata,” spoken by the Italian senator Giulia to her Prime Minister.  “Occhiata” is an Italian noun derived from the word “occhio” for eye, and corresponds to the English ” a glance,” or “a quick look.”  Giulia  advises the Prime Minister in an understated way to “taka a look” at his standing in the polls, which she implies have recently plummeted.  (Link: “Familiar Italian Commands)”

If visiting an Italian shop and a salesperson asks, “Posso aiutarla?” for “May I help you?” a quick reply is, “No, grazie.  Sto solo dando un’occhiata.” for “No, thank you. I’m just looking around.” (Link: “Dare and Verbs of Giving”)

 

Italian subject/verb inversion to indicate responsibility for an action:

Reprinted from the blog: “Saying, ‘I’ll take care of it!’ in Italian”

When in Italy, a simple way to emphasize that you will take responsibility for an action is to make a short statement and place the subject pronoun after the verb; in effect, invert the usual Italian subject-verb order.  Use this convention to say, “I’ll take care of it!” in a way that truly sounds like a native Italian!

Remember that the Italian subject pronouns  — such as io, tu, lei/lui, which mean I, you, she/he — are generally left out of an Italian sentence. Many blogs in this series have mentioned that Italian subject pronouns are not needed for conversational Italian since the speaker is understood by the unique Italian verb endings for each subject. Given the Italian convention to omit subject pronouns, then, the simple act of including a subject pronoun shifts the emphasis from the action verb in the sentence to the subject. When the subject pronoun-verb order is reversed by placing the subject pronoun after the verb, the effect is to stress the subject even more.

For instance, if you are enjoying dinner at home with your family and someone rings the doorbell, one individual in the group will need to take the responsibility to answer the door. That person might get up from the table and say, “Vado io,”  which simply means, “I’m going.” But by inverting the verb and subject pronoun order from “io vado” to “vado io,” a message has also been sent to the group that no one else need to be concerned about the situation because , “I am (the one who is) going (to take care of it)!”  In short, you are demonstrating your intention to take care of the issue at hand and will do so right away.*  

This subject-verb inversion is useful in other situations as well. In Italy, there is an extra expense for the taxi driver to handle luggage. If you would like to manage your luggage on your own, simply say, “Porto io!” The way the sentence is constructed relays not only, “I will carry my luggage!” but emphasizes your strong desire to do so, as in, “I will take care of it!”

Examples from Natale a 5 Stelle:

In the first minutes of the film, the President is heard taking responsibility for certain actions while speaking on the phone.  He conveys this responsibility with the following sentences that use subject/verb inversion:

Risolvo io. = I’ll resolve the situation.
Ci penso io. = I’ll take care oof it.  (Idiomatic expression)
Lo chiamo io. = I’ll call him.

The subject/verb inversion sentence structure can also be used to emphasize another’s responsibility. When the President gives money to his assistant to buy Christmas presents for their hosts, he says:
Ci pensi Lei ai regali. = You’re in charge of (buying) the presents.

 

Well-known Italian sayings, still used today:

Una mamma può dare da mangiare a 100 figli ma 100 figli non possono dare da mangiare a una mamma.
A mother can feed 100 children but 100 children cannot feed one mother.

This well-known saying is said by the Neapolitan waiter who brings the food to the President’s hotel room as he shakes his head in dismay about the events he has just seen.

Auguri e figli maschi.
Best wishes and many male children.

This phrase has been used for many generations in Italy in order to state one’s hopes for a couple on their wedding day.  In Natale a 5 Stelle, the phrase said in a routine, rushed way, without emotion, as the parting words from the President’s wife when it is revealed (in front of a crowd at the final party scene) that her lover has wed another. (This isn’t really a spoiler… you’ll see if you watch the movie!)

 

Finally, if you’d like to learn more about the different genres of Italian TV and movies and develop a vocabulary to talk about how you liked (or didn’t like) what you’ve watched, visit the blog: TV and Movies in Italian.

 

*The original Cinepannettone was released in 1983 and titled, Vacanze di Natale, or Christmas Holiday. This film was directed by the brothers Carlo Vanzina and Enrico Vanzina and was made quickly (the first “instant” Italian movie) to follow their smash-hit summer comedy from 1982, Sapore di mare. The summer feature chronicles the somewhat Animal House-type romantic involvements of 20 somethings vacationing with their families during a 1960s summer on an Italian beach resort at Forte dei Marmi in Lucca, Tuscany. The end of Sapore di mare fast-forwards to 1982, when the characters meet again by chance at the same resort. At this point, the movie strikes a more serious tone, as the viewer learns if any of the romantic entanglements of the1960s summer have lasted.

* Il cinema is a masculine noun with an invariable ending. Il cinema refers to: the method for creating a film (cinema, cinematography filming), the theater where films were originally shown (movie theater), as well as the art of producing a film (filmmaking, film, the motion picture industry) or the movies or films themselves.