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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Italian word of the day: ‘Ninnananna’

Need a nap? Let this soothing word help you drift off.

Italian word of the day: 'Ninnananna'
Photo: DepositPhotos

Most of the time, we try to pick Italian words that are really useful: words like allora, quindi, cioè and insomma that we know you can use every day (and even every other sentence if you feel like it).

But sometimes we allow ourselves to pick words just because we like them. And that's what we're doing today with ninnananna.

Say it out loud and you might be able to guess at what it means: una ninnananna, with its sing-song sound and repeating Ns (six! count 'em!) is the Italian word for a lullaby.

It's related to the verb ninnare, which means to lull someone to sleep. And how better to do that than by singing them a sweet tune (cantare una dolce ninnananna)?

È la ninnananna che mi cantava la mamma.
It's the lullaby my mum used to sing to me.

You might also see it written as two separate words: either spelling is perfectly fine.

La sua voce è calma, come una ninna nanna.
His voice is soft, like a lullaby.

To give you some ideas, here's a traditional Italian ninnananna called 'Fate la nanna, coscine di pollo', which roughly translates as: “Go to beddy-byes, little chicken legs”. (Now that we can't explain.)

Listen out for the lines:

Ninnananna, ninnananna,
Il bambino è della mamma,
Della mamma e di Gesù,
Il bambino non piange più.

Lullaby, lullaby,
Baby belongs to mother,
To mother and to Jesus,
Baby cries no more.

 
Do you have a favourite Italian word, phrase or expression you'd like us to feature? If so, please email our editor Jessica Phelan 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.

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.

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