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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘In grado’

Will you be able to master this Italian phrase?

Italian expression of the day in grado.
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

If you overhear yourself being referred to as in grado, you can rest assured that it’s a compliment – or at least, definitely not an insult.

It means that a person or a thing is able to, capable of, or ‘up to’ performing a specific task – either because they have the necessary skills or equipment or because the circumstances make it possible.

Because it refers to the sentence subject’s ability to undertake a particular action, in grado needs to be either explicitly or implicitly followed by the preposition di and the infinitive of a verb, to specify exactly what they’re capable of doing.

Sono in grado di gestire la situazione.
They’re capable of handling the situation.

Se ti avvicini, sarai in grado di vedere meglio.
If you get closer, you’ll be able to see better.

As mentioned above, the di + infinitive doesn’t necessarily have to be articulated:

Ho bisogno di cuochi che sappiano cucinare velocemente. Se non sei in grado, basta dirlo.
I need chefs who can cook fast. If you’re not up to it, just say so.

Ci piacerebbe molto che il vostro quartetto d’archi suonasse il violino alla fiera della scuola. Se vi sentite in grado, lo metterò nel programma.
We would love for your string quartet to play the violin at the school fair. If you’re up for it, I’ll put it on the programme.

In these examples, the di + infinitive aren’t expressed outright, but they’re implied: we know what specific task is being referred to, and if we wanted we could rework the sentence to add them in:

Se non sei in grado di cucinare, basta dirlo.
If you’re not able to cook, just say so.

Se vi sentite in grado di suonare il violino alla fiera della scuola, lo metterò nel programma.
If you’re up for playing the violin at the school fair, I’ll put it on the programme.

When talking about someone being capable in general, rather than up to a specific task, however, we need to use a word like capace (capable) instead.

Giovanni è molto capace come avvocato.
Giovanni’s a very capable lawyer.

Here in grado wouldn’t work, as there’s no implied di + infinitive: we know that Giovanni’s good at doing his job, but not any one thing in particular.

It follows, then, that ‘a capable person’ would simply be una persona capace. Una persona in grado doesn’t work unless – again – you follow it up with a di + infinitive.

In grado doesn’t just apply to humans – we can also use the phrase to talk about inanimate objects like machines.

La macchina è in grado di guidarsi da sola nella maggioranza delle circostanze.
The car is capable of driving itself in most circumstances.

Il computer è in grado di calcolare anche la velocità, la potenza, e l’energia usata.
The computer is also able to calculate speed, power, and energy usage.

That’s all we have for you today – see if you’re in grado di memorizzarlo (able to memorise it).

And You Are Capable Of Amazing Things Lego GIF - And You Are Capable Of Amazing Things Lego Lego Movie GIFs

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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘Cambiare registro’

Here's the Italian phrase you'll need if you're looking for a change.

Italian expression of the day: ‘Cambiare registro’

If you live in Italy or have spent a considerable amount of time in the country, you may have overheard an Italian parent telling their child they needed to cambiare registro right after they threw a tantrum. 

If you work or have worked in Italy, you may also have had one of your superiors tell you that a cambio di registro was needed in the office. 

But what do Italians really mean when they tell someone they need to ‘change register’?

Italians use cambiare registro to tell someone that they need to change their behaviour, manners or way to approach a particular task (including work or school assignments), usually because they’re not particularly happy with the way they’re currently handling things. 

It is generally used with the verb dovere (must/have to), which must be conjugated according to the person who could do with a ‘change of register’. For instance:

Non hai passato gli ultimi tre test. Devi cambiare registro se vuoi tenere la tua paghetta settimanale.  

You failed the past three exams. You need to turn things around if you want to keep your weekly allowance.

La tua performance al lavoro e’ stata insoddisfacente questo trimestre. Devi veramente cambiare registro il prossimo mese.

Your performance at work has been unsatisfactory this quarter. You really need to turn things around next month.

You could also say that a situation you’re unhappy with needs ‘a change of register’, without addressing anyone in particular. 

Ci sono cose ovunque. C’e’ bisogno di un cambio di registro in questa casa.

There’s stuff all over the place. Changes are needed in this house.

As you can see from these examples, there’s no single way to translate the phrase into English, though ‘turning things around’ and ‘changing up’ are popular translations.

And if you’re wondering where the expression comes from, it has nothing to do with Italy’s Registry Office (or Anagrafe), nor with any other part of the country’s public administration. 

Cambiare registro was originally a music-related expression as it referred to the act of changing the tone or range (registro in Italian) of some musical instruments, including pipe organs.

But, as in the case of many other Italian phrases and expressions, its usage was later extended to daily life situations to express a need for major changes.

Do you have a favourite Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

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