As requested by @polyglot-oneday, here goes a list of Italian filler words, together with their meaning, pronunciation (albeit a bit robotic, sorry about that but these were the only ones I could find) and examples of their usage. This is by no means comprehensive and additions are always welcomed, but I tried to include as many as I could. Donāt hesitate to ask if you want to know more and my little explanations werenāt clear!
Might also meanĀ ā[back] thenā, especially when opposed (directly or implicitly) toĀ āadesso (now)ā. Usually employed at the beginning of a sentence, especially when introducing a new subject.
Ex. Allora, comāĆØ andata? āĀ So, how did that go?
2) Appunto ā Indeed / PreciselyĀ / Thatās right [š]
Basically an intensifier for both negations and affirmations. Can also be thrown around randomly but I canāt quite think of an example for that, hahaha.
Ex. Ā A: Marco non ĆØ ancora qui. ā Marco isnāt here yet.
B: Non aveva detto che sarebbe stato a casa per le sei? ā Didnāt he say he would be home by six?
A: SƬ, appunto. Sono un poā preoccupato. ā Yes, he did. I am a little worried.
3) Beā ā WellĀ [š]
Truncation ofĀ ābeneā. The spelling ābehā is also acceptable.
Ex. Beā, non direi. ā Well, I wouldnāt say so.
4) CioĆØ ā That is / ActuallyĀ [š]
Be careful with abusing this one, it can get obnoxious (as most fillers, but this is particularly the case). You might also hear it pronounced asĀ ācāĆØā.
Ex. SƬā¦ cioĆØ, non so. ā Yesā¦ that is, I donāt know.
5) Comunque ā However / Anyway [š]
I noticed I use this quite a lot, mostly when I want to drive the conversation somewhere else (though the proper use would probably be saying it when bringing it up something that had been previously discussed).
Ex. Comunque, alla fine ci ho parlato. ā Anyway, I did speak to him in the end.
6) Dai ā Come on / Sure (literallyĀ āgiveā) [š]
To be honest, this one has a lot of meanings. You could use it either to encourage someone or to reproach them, to intensify your agreement or your disagreement.
Ex. Va bene, dai. ā Alright, sure.
Dai, andiamo. ā Come on, letās go.
7) Diciamo ā Letās sayĀ [š]
When you donāt want to be too straightforward, or youāre phrasing something in an unconventional way.
Ex. Mi ha preso un poā alla sprovvista, diciamo. ā Letās say that I was caught a little unawares.
8) Ecco ā There/ Here / I meanĀ [š]
Let me expand a little on the concept ofĀ āthere/hereā: when you get a sudden realization, you may sayĀ āEcco, ho trovato!ā (āHere, I got it!ā), or if you want to agree with someone, you could go likeĀ āEcco, esatto!ā (āThere, thatās right!ā).
Ex. Eccoā¦ Non sono sicuro di voler andare alla cena. ā I meanā¦ Iām not really sure I want to go to the dinner.
9) Eh ā Got it? / Alright / Uh [š]
Primarily the ItalianĀ āthinking soundā (that one phoneme you emit when youāre thinking of what to say, but please try not to overuse it), but it could mean literally anything depending on the intonation.
Ex. Mi raccomando, eh? ā Make sure [you do it], alright?
Eh, non lo so. ā Uh, I donāt know.
10) Guarda ā Look [š]
You are directly addressing someone; usually carries a nuance of either uncertainty or polemic.
Ex. A: Hai per caso visto la mia borsa? ā Do you happen to have seen my bag?
B: Guarda, mi pare che sia sulla scrivania, ma non potrei giurarci. ā Look, I think itās on the desk, but I wouldnāt bet on it.
11) Insomma ā So / In other words / In short [š]
This is usually the meaning when itās used as a filler. When employed alone, its sense is very similar to that ofĀ āso soā.
Ex. A: Insomma, ti ĆØ piaciuto il film? ā So, did you like the movie?
B: Insommaā¦ ā So soā¦
12) In teoria/teoricamente ā Theoretically [š]
ā¦But the thing youāre talking about doesnāt really need to be theoretical. Itās mostly a way to attenuate a concept.
Ex. Dovrebbero essere giĆ qui, teoricamente. ā Theyāre supposed to be here already.
No real opposition needed here, though; usually used to emphasize. Not to be confused withĀ āmahā.
Ex. Ma no, ma cosa fai! ā [But] no, what are you doing?
14) Mah ā Who knows / Well / *shrugging* / * expression of disapproval/skepticism* [š]
Exactly what it says on the tin. Usually an expression of doubt or disapproval.
Ex. Mah, mi sembra strano. ā Well, it seems odd to me.
E cosƬ alla fine ha cambiato idea. Mah, chi lo capisce ĆØ bravo! ā So he changed his mind in the end. Work that one out if you can!
15) Nel senso [che] ā I mean [š] [š] [š]
I tend to say it without ācheā a lot and completely at random but it might be just me.
Ex. Mi sono trovata molto bene, nel sensoā¦ Sono stati davvero gentili. ā I really felt at ease, I meanā¦ Theyāve been very nice.
16) Niente ā Nothing / Well [š]
Doesnāt really add much meaning-wise. You might say it when you donāt know what to say, or to end a conversation.
Ex. E niente, ĆØ finita cosƬ. ā Well, it was what it was.
Ex. Ora, ti sembra lāora di rientrare? ā Now, what time is this to come back home?
18) Praticamente ā Essentially / Pretty much / More or lessĀ [š]
Pretty similar in usage toĀ āteoricamenteā, but meaningĀ āin practiceā.
Ex. Lāacqua era finita, praticamente. ā There was almost no water left.
Ex. E quindi, ho imparato una nuova parola. ā And so, I learned a new word.
20) Sai ā You know [š]
Usage is pretty much the same as in English.
Ex. Sai, non sempre si puĆ² fare quello che si vuole. ā You canāt always do what you want, you know.
21) Senti ā Listen [š]
Doesnāt have to be polemical (and depends highly on intonation), but thereās a chance it could be.
Ex. Senti, non mi fare arrabbiare. ā Listen, donāt mess with me.
One of the most overused (if not the most overused) terms in the Italian vocabulary. An extensive use is frowned upon in formal settings (and can get a little annoying in real life), so really, it works almost like ālikeā.
Ex. Era alto cosƬ, tipo, e aveva i capelli scuri. ā He was, like, this tall, and had dark hair.
23) Vabbeā ā No big deal / Thatās okay [š]
Contraction ofĀ āvaā andĀ ābeneā. The spellingsĀ āva behā andĀ āva beāĀ ā are also accepted (youāll probably see it written down asĀ āvabbĆØā, although itās actually incorrect). It can hint a little dissatisfaction with the actual situation (in a shrugging,Ā āsuit yourselfā kind of way).
Ex. Oggi non ti va di andare al cinema? Vabbeā, andremo domani. ā So you donāt want to go to the movies today? Thatās okay, weāll go tomorrow.
24) Vediamo [un poā] ā Letās see [š]
Ex. Vediamo, chi vuole cominciare? ā Letās seeā¦ who wants to go first?
blakekathryn
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
germansingergirl
areudirty
dededos
izzy806
