Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘In alto mare’

Here’s the Italian phrase you'll need when things just aren’t working out.

Published: 15 December 2022 16:19 CET
Updated: 8 May 2023 16:52 CEST
Italian expression of the day: ‘In alto mare’
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

If we may indulge in a generalisation, it wouldn’t be grossly unfair to say that most Italians have a peculiar penchant for complaining. 

And, depending on what the target of their grumbles is – this could be anything from low-quality coffee to the classic queue at the chronically understaffed post office – there are a variety of ways in which native speakers express their dissatisfaction. 

Today’s phrase, in alto mare (pronunciation available here), is a common way to express frustration, particularly when it’s related to school or university assignments or any work-related task.

As you may have guessed, in alto mare literally means ‘on the high seas’ and, in this sense, can of course by used in relation to a boat or ship that happens to be very far from shore. 

– Capitano, quanti giorni di viaggio ci mancano ancora?

– Purtroppo, siamo ancora in alto mare. Settimane. Forse, mesi.

– How many more days of travel have we got left, Captain?

– Unfortunately we’re still on the open seas. Weeks. Maybe, months.

But this usage of the expression is rarely heard otherwise.

When used figuratively however, in alto mare is a much more popular expression and one heard in regularly in ordinary conversations.  

This idiom is used for any task, project or assignment that, for one reason or another, is nowhere near completion. 

– Come sta andando con il tuo report al lavoro?

– Lascia stare. E’ in alto mare. 

– How is it going with your report at work?

– Forget it. It’s nowhere near done.

The expression can be translated into English in a variety of ways: from ‘on the rocks’ to ‘in the weeds’, to ‘nowhere near done’, though none of these phrases perfectly matches the meaning of the Italian counterpart.

And, while the sentence construction shown above (the task or project is followed by the correct form of the verb ‘essere’ and, in turn, by ‘in alto mare’) is very common among native speakers, an alternative construction is possible.

Here, the person experiencing issues with a task could say that they are ‘in alto mare’ with said thing.

– Sono in alto mare con il trasloco. Non so cosa fare.

– I’m deep in the weeds with the house move. I’m at a loss.

Should you happen to currently be ‘on the high seas’ with something, we hope that this aptly named Italian song by the iconic Loredana Bertè will give you at least some comfort.

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

Member comments

  1. Surely this equates to the English expression, ‘all at sea’, which perhaps these days is a little dated, but still relevant.
    ‘I’m all at sea with the the house move. I’m at a loss’

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: Metà vs mezzo

These Italian words are both used to talk about 'half' of something, so what exactly is the difference and when should you use them?

Published: 23 April 2024 10:48 CEST
Updated: 23 April 2024 11:49 CEST
Italian word of the day: Metà vs mezzo

It’s often the case in Italy that you’ll find several words that mean something very similar, and it’s not always easy to know which one is appropriate. Our new mini series looks at some of the most common word pairs, and sorts out which should be used and when.

Why do I need to know the difference between metà and mezzo?

Because you’ll need to use both of them in daily conversation if you live in Italy, but the difference in meaning isn’t always clear.

What’s the difference?

When you want to talk about ‘half’ of something in Italian, it may seem as though you have two choices.

Depending on what you’re talking about, you could reach for either metà or mezzo (or mezza, which we’ll come to later) but many language learners say they’re not always sure which one to use in certain situations.

Put simply, the difference between metà and mezzo is much the same as the difference between ‘half’ and ‘middle’ in English.

Metà: a half, as in one of two equal parts of something.

Mezzo: the middle, as in equally distant from two points.

For example:

Ha mangiato metà torta

He ate half of the cake

Facciamo a metà

Let’s split it (in half)

E’ sdraiato in mezzo alla strada

He’s lying in the middle of the street

Non penso che ti dovrebbe mettere in mezzo

I don’t think she should be putting you in the middle of this

READ ALSO: Come stai vs come va

But is anything in Italian ever really that simple?

There are some specific situations where the two words seem to be used interchangeably, or where it’s not clear why one is typically used and not the other.

Confusion arises particularly around telling the time in Italian, as you could say:

Sono le undici e mezzo

It’s half past eleven

Il mio treno arriva alle 5.40: vediamoci dieci minuti prima, alla mezza.

My train arrives at 5.40: let’s meet ten minutes before, at half past.

Why in this case aren’t we using metà for ‘half’? And why is it sometimes mezza rather than mezzo?

The English ‘half past’ doesn’t translate literally into Italian. Mezzo is used here instead, since we’re talking about the ‘middle of’ the hour, the point equally distant between two hours.

This might take some getting used to for English native speakers, but it is pretty logical.

As for why it’s mezza in the second example, this isn’t because it needs to agree with the gender of the noun in the sentence.

In fact, dictionaries tell us it’s always more correct to use mezzo regardless (although many Italians themselves find this rule confusing.)

But, in this case, as the language guardians at Italy’s Accademia della Crusca explain, mezza may (if you prefer) be used instead of mezzo when we already know the time, or at least the hour, being talked about.

So if you had earlier told someone an event would start at 8pm, but it’s now been delayed by half an hour, you could then say:

Comincerà alle otto e mezza

But if you’re inviting someone for the first time, you’d probably stick to:

Alle otto e mezzo

This can be a lot to remember when you’re in the middle of a conversation, but with practice you’ll soon get a feel for which word sounds right in which context. 

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

Make sure you don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day: download our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

SHOW COMMENTS