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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Italian word of the day: ‘Menefreghismo’

Don't give a damn about this word? You should.

Today's word speaks to a darker side of Italian culture: menefreghismo.

You might come across the term listening to Italians lament the way corruption and organized crime suck away desperately needed public funds, the way nothing gets done about the potholes and the rubbish lining the streets, and the way it's always someone else's pal who gets the job.

The problem that lies beneath all these things, they might tell you, is menefreghismo – people just don't care.

There isn't a direct translation into English: the word derives from the Italian phrase me ne frego, which roughly means 'I don't give a shit'. 

READ ALSO: Ten untranslatable words that only exist in Italian

That expression came to prominence during the Fascist era, when Blackshirts adopted lines sung by soldiers volunteering to fight in World War One: “I don't care if I should die for our sacred freedom!”

The slogan became a Fascist favourite (and continues to be used deliberately by neo-fascists today).

Benito Mussolini defined it as “an education to fighting, and the acceptance of the risks it implies… this is how the Fascist understands life as duty, exaltation, conquest. A life that must be lived highly and fully, both for oneself but especially for others, near and far, present and future.”

Others, though, read a different meaning: not caring meant looking out for number one and stubbornly or cynically ignoring any objections.

Menefreghismo ('I-don't-give-a-damn-ism') has become shorthand for a sort of pigheaded selfishness: as various dictionaries define it, 'indifference', 'a couldn't-care-less attitude' or 'a total lack of attention to other people or one's own duties'.

– Il suo è menefreghismo bello e buono!
– He simply doesn't give a damn!

Someone who exhibits such an attitude habitually is a menefreghista, a person who doesn't give a damn about anything (or a 'don't-give-a-damn-ite', if you will).

Don't be that person.

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

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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘Al volo’

We’re sure you’ll learn this Italian phrase in no time.

Italian expression of the day: ‘Al volo’

If you’ve ever found yourself at an Italian airport and looked up at the departure board, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with the word volo, which is the Italian equivalent of ‘flight’ – but also the first person singular of the verb volare (to fly) in the present tense.

And if you’re a fan of classical music, you may of course have heard of Italy’s famous opera trio Il Volo (‘The Flight’).

But what do Italians mean when they say they’re going to do something al volo (hear it pronounced here)? 

Much like its closest English equivalent, ‘on the fly’, al volo has very little to do with aircraft or flying as it’s one of the most common Italian phrases to say that you’re doing something ‘quickly’ or ‘readily’, often without having prepared it or thought about it much beforehand.

Facciamoci una pasta al volo e poi usciamo.

Let’s cook some pasta on the fly and then get out.

Ho dovuto preparare la presentazione al volo perché non mi avevano avvisato della riunione.

I had to put the presentation together on the fly as I’d not been notified of the meeting. 

But usage of al volo is not limited to practical actions or tasks you may do quickly and without much thought. 

In fact, you can also pair it with the verb capire (understand), comprendere (comprehend) or imparare (learn) to say that you grasped something ‘immediately’ or ‘in no time’, meaning you won’t need any further explanation. 

Tuo figlio capisce tutto al volo. Ha un grande futuro davanti a lui, a mio parere.

Your son understands everything in no time. He’s got a great future ahead of him, in my opinion.

And if you haven’t fully understood or grasped something on your first try (which is painfully likely when dealing with Italy’s infamous red tape, even for locals), don’t worry: you’ll always have the option to ask a domanda al volo, or a ‘quick question’, to clear up your doubts. 

Another popular way to use the phrase is in relation to big opportunities, whether that be in life, in education or at work. So an opportunity that va presa al volo must be seized immediately as it’s too good to be missed. 

Finally, if you’re planning on watching Euro 2024 matches on Italian TV over the next month, you may hear football commentators use al volo multiple times while analysing a match as colpire la palla al volo means to strike it while it’s in the air, or ‘volley’ it.

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

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