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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Italian word of the day: ‘Dai’

Come on, you must have heard this versatile word before.

Published: 14 November 2018 16:08 CET
Updated: 4 August 2020 19:30 CEST

Italian word of the day: 'Dai'

Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash

Today's word isn't so much a word as a sound: dai, pronounced – approximately – 'dye-yuh!'

Luckily it's simpler to translate than it is to transcribe phonetically: it means something like 'come on'.

Dai, andiamo!
Come on, let's go!

It's beautifully versatile for one little word. You can yell it at your favourite team to encourage them (or to tell them they need to do better), whisper it to a friend to invite them to go ahead, or whine it pleadingly to get someone to give in.

Dai, sbrigatevi!
Come on, hurry up!

Dai, resta ancora un po'.
Go on, stay a bit longer.

Dai, dai, ti prego Papà!
Oh go on, go on, please Dad!

Its various tones are hard to pinpoint, but according to one Italian dictionary, adding 'but' in front of it makes it sound incredulous…

– Io preferisco la pizza americana.
– Ma dai!
– I prefer American pizza.
– Oh come on!

… while prefacing it with 'and' indicates irritation and impatience.

– Non è giusto però!
– E dai! Smettila.
– But it's not fair!
– Come on! Stop that.

However you use dai, do it with conviction. You can stretch out its vowels as long as you dare, and if you wish to repeat it a few times for emphasis or accompany it with an exasperated flourish of the hand, well, we won't judge you. Daaaaaaiii!

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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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