risorto: (✝ when it's life)
bruno buccellati ([personal profile] risorto) wrote 2016-07-17 03:27 am (UTC)

Well, if you're going to start anywhere with learning Italian, cursing is a good place. We tend to pride ourselves on imaginative ways to insult and offend each other. Sometimes it's even affectionate.

But I suppose I should teach you some of the tamer ones first.
[It wouldn't be responsible otherwise.] I still wouldn't recommend saying any of these around any grandmothers, but most people wouldn't be offended hearing these.

Accidenti = damn or if someone is describing something bad that happened to them, it's more or less the same as saying "that sucks"
Cavolo = it's along the same lines as saying "holy crap" when saying it by itself. If you say "che cavolo?" that's like saying "what the hell?"
Che palle = we say this when something happens that we don't like
Porca miseria/vacca = dammit

Porca translates directly to pig, but we often put it in front of other words to make it a little more vulgar. For example, porca Madonna is far more offensive than saying Madonna by itself.

Definitely don't say porca Madonna in front of a grandmother.

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