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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘Piove sul bagnato’

This could be a lucky Italian phrase - depending on how fortunate you are to begin with.

Published: 17 December 2021 09:18 CET
Updated: 15 November 2023 15:42 CET
Italian expression of the day piove sul bagnato
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

If it’s absolutely tipping it down, or ‘raining cats and dogs’, the Italian equivalent would be: ‘piovando sul bagnato‘, meaning it’s ‘raining on the wet’ (literally ‘soaked’).

The imagery is clear: it’s a very rainy day indeed and things are only getting wetter.

But the expression piove sul bagnato has more meaning behind it than simply describing grim weather.

In modern Italian, the saying is used to indicate that unpleasant events or, on the contrary, pleasant ones, happen to those who are already experiencing enough of them.

READ ALSO: Ten phrases to talk about cold and wet weather like a true Italian

So good luck will come to those who are already blessed by good fortune, while further adversity befalls those who are already unlucky.

It could be translated into English as ‘Fortune favours the fortunate’.

Dopo avere ereditato una grossa somma di denaro, ha anche vinto alla lotteria. Beh, piove sul bagnato

After inheriting a large sum of money, he also won the lottery. Well, fortune favours the fortunate.

It can also be used in a negative sense if things aren’t going your way. A bit like the English expression ‘It never rains, but it pours’.

I miei affari sono crollati, mia moglie mi ha lasciato e la banca si è ripresa la mia casa, tutto nel giro di un anno. Le disgrazie non arrivano mai da sole, a quanto pare.

My business collapsed, my wife left me, and the bank repossessed my home, all in the space of a year. Misfortunes never come alone, it seems.

If a friend listed all these terrible things that happened to them, you might say:

Piove sul bagnato. È proprio vero, che le disgrazie non vengono mai sole

It never rains but it pours. You’re really having a run of bad luck.

Can we change our fortunes? Well, it never hurts to wish someone good luck with a friendly ‘In bocca al lupo‘.

Try your luck and give this Italian phrase a go this week.

Do you have a favourite Italian word, phrase or expression you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Member comments

  1. Love your word translations, as there are so many that are not common and yet so descriptive of the actions. Thank you for these great translations.\

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For members

ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘A patto che’

Here’s an expression that’ll come handy – as long as you know how to use it.

Published: 3 May 2024 10:25 CEST
Italian expression of the day: ‘A patto che’

Whether you’ve just started out on your journey to Italian proficiency or already have a few months, or perhaps years, of learning experience under your belt, you may already be familiar with the word patto as it can frequently be found in Italian news reports, books and films. 

A patto (hear it pronounced here) is the Italian equivalent of the English ‘pact’, meaning a formal agreement between two or more parties. 

But what do Italians mean when they drop the word between the preposition a and the conjunction che, forming the phrase a patto che?

A patto che is one of the most commonly used Italian phrases to express that a certain thing will only happen (or be allowed to happen) if one or more conditions are met. 

Its literal English translation would be ‘on condition that’, but it’s far more frequently translated as ‘as long as’, ‘provided that’, or simply ‘if’.

Ti lascio andare alla festa solo a patto che tu finisca tutti i tuoi compiti.

I’ll let you go to the party only if you finish all of your homework.

Non ho nessun problema a visitare i tuoi genitori, a patto che non restiamo la’ tutto il weekend.

I have no problem visiting your parents as long as we don’t spend the entire weekend there.

A patto che is a fairly satisfying expression to use (if only for the joy of setting down a marker and stating the things you’re not willing to compromise on) but it does come with a downside.

As you may have seen from the above examples, it’s one of those expressions that requires the use of the Italian subjunctive (or congiuntivo), which isn’t exactly the easiest tense to learn.

Sono pronto a dirti il mio segreto, a patto che tu mi dica prima [second person singular of the subjunctive form of the verb dire, or ‘tell’] il tuo.

I’m willing to tell you my secret, provided that you tell me yours first.

But if you’re still unsure about your Italian subjunctive skills, don’t worry: in most cases, you’ll be able to use se (‘if’) – and the relevant present tense form – instead of a patto che. 

Sono pronto a dirti il mio segreto se tu mi dici prima il tuo.

I’m willing to tell you my secret if you tell me yours first.

Do you have a favourite Italian word or phrase you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

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