SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘Male che vada’

What's the worst that could happen if you attempt this phrase?

Italian expression of the day male che vada
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

No one likes to spend too much time thinking about the worst-case scenario.

But today’s phrase is for when you can’t help facing up to just how bad things may get: male che vada, ‘however badly it goes’.

If you don’t recognise vada, that’s because it’s the subjunctive form of the verb andare, ‘to go’, which gives the phrase a hypothetical feel: it’s like saying ‘however badly it may go’.

It’s not as negative as it sounds, however.

The closest equivalents in English are probably the expressions ‘if the worst comes to the worst’ or ‘worst-case scenario’, which you typically use to present some kind of contingency plan.

Ti andrebbe di andare a fare una passeggiata?
– Ma il meteo dice che pioverà…
Dai, usciamo lo stesso! Male che vada andiamo al bar a prendere un caffè.

– Do you fancy going for a walk?
– But the forecast says it’s going to rain…
– Come on, let’s go anyway! Worst-case scenario, we’ll go to the bar and get a coffee.

In other words, even if things go wrong you know what you’ll do about it.

Sometimes male che vada is, in fact, downright optimistic. It can be the equivalent of ‘at worst’ or ‘at the very least’, something you say to indicate that even the worst-case scenario really isn’t that bad.

Male che vada, questo tirocinio arricchirà il mio curriculum.
At the very least, this internship will add to my CV.

Cosa aspetti a chiederle di uscire? Male che vada ti dice di no e per te non cambierà nulla.
What are you waiting for to ask her out? At worst she’ll say no and it won’t change anything for you.

So try saying male che vada next time you want to reassure someone (including yourself) that however bad things go, you’ll deal with it.

Is there an Italian word of expression 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.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

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.

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

SHOW COMMENTS