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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Italian word of the day: ‘Coprifuoco’

This medieval word is back on everyone's lips in the time of Covid-19.

Italian word of the day: 'Coprifuoco'
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash

Today's word is one you'll recognise from Italian headlines: coprifuoco, 'curfew'.

It literally means 'cover fire', from the verb coprire ('to cover') and fuoco, 'fire'.

And in fact so does our English equivalent, it's just slightly harder to see the roots. We took our word from the Old French 'couvre-feu' ('cover fire'), which mutated into 'curfew'.

All three versions refer to the same tradition: in medieval times, a bell would be rung in the evening to remind townspeople to put out the fires burning in their hearths before they went to bed, to prevent sparks catching while they slept and setting the entire neighbourhood ablaze.

The signal became known as a 'cover fire'.

In the centuries that followed, by extension, the term applied to any warning that it was time to return home and get to bed.

Until recently, most people had probably only ever received such warnings from parents.

Non vengo al pub, mia madre ha messo il coprifuoco.
I'm not coming to the pub, my mum set a curfew.

But in recent days, curfews have become official orders. At least three regions of Italy have declared coprifuochi (plural) in response to a steep rise in coronavirus infections.

In Lombardia da giovedì ci sarà il coprifuoco dalle 23 alle 5.
In Lombardy from Thursday there will be a curfew from 11pm to 5am.

Per chi dovrà uscire durante le ore di coprifuoco sarà necessaria un'autocertificazione.
Those who have to go out during curfew hours will need a self-certification form.

Just like the original version, this latest curfew isn't just for your own benefit, it's to protect your neighbours too. That's worth a few early bedtimes, isn't it?

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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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