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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Italian word of the day: ‘Scherzare’

No kidding, this word comes up all the time.

Published: 25 October 2019 16:06 CEST
Italian word of the day: 'Scherzare'
Photo: DepositPhotos

It might surprise you to learn that Italians get their word for joking around from… the Germans.

That's right, scherzare ('to joke') comes – via settlers to northern Italy – from an early Germanic word meaning 'to hop, jump or frolic'. 

Today's Italian version (pronounced “sker-tsar-eh”) still has the same sense of playfulness. It's not just telling jokes, it's what we'd call 'playing around' or 'goofing off'.

Si sono messi a scherzare con la neve come dei ragazzi.
They started playing around in the snow like kids.

Of course, saying something was just for fun is a good way to get away with things. It's the equivalent of saying you're 'kidding' or something is just 'a joke' (uno scherzo).

Sto scherzando!
I'm kidding!

Era solo uno scherzo!
It was only a joke!

Jokes come in all different shapes and sizes: uno scherzetto ('little joke') is a harmless 'trick', uno scherzo di mano is a 'practical joke' or 'prank', scherzo rozzo is 'horseplay', and uno scherzo da prete (literally, 'priest's joke') is a 'nasty' or even 'dirty joke', for reasons best left to the imagination. 

But when it's no time for kidding, you can use scherzare to suggest that someone is being too playful and not serious enough – that they're 'messing around'.

Smettila di scherzare con l'acqua!
Stop messing around with the water!

La situazione è seria: c'è poco da scherzare.
This is a serious situation: it's no laughing matter (literally: there's little to joke about). 

By the same token, if you say something 'doesn't mess around', you mean it deserves to be taken seriously – i.e. it's considerable or worthy.

Lei è brava, ma anche tu non scherzi.
She's good, but you're not bad yourself.

Se ieri faceva un freddo cane, oggi certo non scherza.
If yesterday was freezing, today isn't messing around either (in other words: it's very cold too). 

If you're not sure that someone's being serious – or can't believe they are – use scherzare to ask if they're joking. Even just rhetorically.

– Hai deciso di sposarlo?
– Stai scherzando?!
– Have you decided to marry him?
– Are you kidding?!

And if you want to assure someone that no, you're deadly serious, the answer, of course, is… 

Non sto scherzando!
I'm not kidding!

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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.

Published: 14 June 2024 13:59 CEST
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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