can anyone speak Italian ?

Jennymf

Hi can anyone speak Italian? I want to say something like this from a male perspective to a woman. slightly sexy.
Wow you look fantastic
Wow you look amazing
or any other clean suggestions
It is for the beginning of a short story

Carol

As I discovered when I was trying to find out a few curse words for one of my historical characters, Italian wasn't too familiar to TB's...:)

Liz

I can find out for you, my son's best friend Davide is bilingual in English/Italian. His dad is Italian. Gosh, Carol, I could have done that too if I'd read that thread!

heather

Or you could put the phrase into Google translate.

Sometimes a bit risky, but if you translate it back again and make sure it makes sense then it's usually OK.

(It comes up with "Wow si guarda fantastico" )

Liz

But also, my Mac translator says

Wow, sembrate stupefacente!

for the first, and

Wow, sembrate fantastico!

for the second.

Liz

Oo-er, that's the trouble with translators! It might make a difference whether you are addressing a posh woman or a man as well.

SilentTony

Ci dispiace non parlo una parola di italiano.

Nefertari

I did Italian for a couple of years I think it would be 'Sei bellisima'

Carol

I wondered about the masculine and feminine forms of the words too.

femaleking

[quote=heather]Or you could put the phrase into Google translate.[/quote]

NO NO NO! As a language student, let me just say that machine translators NEVER work properly! For example, I'm studying Spanish and since pronouns are generally dropped in that language, a translator won't be able to deduce from the context whether a verb conjugated in third person singular means 'her', 'him' or 'it'. And if a verb means two different things, the translator might translate it as the wrong meaning and you end up with nonsense. Plus direct translation fails utterly in so many languages because they either just don't have an equivalent of the English word or because what's an adjective in English might be a verb in another language etc.

If you ever want to find out what a certain phrase would be in another language, ALWAYS find a native speaker to help you. The Word Reference forums are very good for this.

heather

I did say you had to be careful!

what are the Word reference forums?

femaleking

I know, Heather, but I just wanted to make sure that people knew not to do this. It's a subject that fills me with horror!

This is the link to the forums: http://forum.wordreference.com/
Word Reference is primarily a dictionary website dealing with several different languages (mainly European) but the forums are where users can ask people who are native speakers of the language they're learning to give them a bit of extra help. I've found them incredibly useful in the past.

Jennymf

[quote=Liz!]I can find out for you, my son's best friend Davide is bilingual in English/Italian. His dad is Italian. Gosh, Carol, I could have done that too if I'd read that thread![/quote]
Thank you all so much did not realise it was that complicated Liz I would be grateful if you could ask your son`s friend. I would like to get it written down correctly.

Jennymf

[quote=SilentTony]Ci dispiace non parlo una parola di italiano.[/quote] Thanks Tony If I have read this correctly you are telling me that you do not speak Italian. Me neither.

Phots Moll

[quote=Jennymf]Hi can anyone speak Italian?[/quote] Yes, lots of people. Many of them live in Italy.

Sorry.

Carol

:)

Lolli

I'm fairly sure Jay has a working knowledge - he used to sprinkle it around a bit (the Italian I mean) when I first joined TB

Jennymf

Hi Liz
sorry to be a pain . have you had a chance to ask your sons best friend about the Italian for me yet? Just tell me to go away if I am being a nuisance will understand.

dora

[quote=Jennymf]Hi can anyone speak Italian?[/quote]

Robert de Niro apparently, according to Bananarama's reckonings.

Liz

No, not a pain at all. I may have omitted to mention that son is in Sidmouth at a fold festival at the minute and his friend is on holiday with his family in Italy! But they will both be back...

Liz

That should be folK festival, clearly. But spending lots of folding.

Jennymf

Thanks a lot Liz I really do appreciate it.
Thanks Dora I`ll contact Robert as soon as I log off from here shall I send him your love?

dora

I suspect he'll be out looking for fares jennymmmph, so no bother, but thanks anyway

Jay Mandal

Ciao, bella! is a start (never sure if that'll earn you a smack round the face, though, if she doesn't know you!). :)

Sei = tu form (you singular, familiar form), and would be OK if it's someone he knows well. If it's someone he's just met, he might use Lei (the polite singular which takes the 3rd person singular verb and is spelt with a capital letter unless things have changed in the last few years).

... tu sei bella/any adjective, mostly ending in a; but
... Lei

Jay Mandal

And, with 'tu', you don't really need to say the subject pronoun. "Sei bella" is sufficient." "Ti amo." (I expect you can guess that one.)

With Lei, it would be confusing if you left out the pronoun as the other person might think you were saying she/it is beautiful and not you are beautiful.

B L Zebub

Ahhh...Niente, signore! Issa notta ma lingo...

Jennymf

[quote=B L Zebub]Ahhh...Niente, signore! Issa notta ma lingo...[/quote]
not mine either unfortunately
[quote=Jay Mandal]Ciao, bella! is a start (never sure if that'll earn you a smack round the face, though, if she doesn't know you!). Jay would it be correct to say Ciao, bella! Mrs. Anderson to a lady that you know?

Jay Mandal

If he's still calling her Mrs Anderson, I wouldn't! Ciao means hello/hi (or goodbye), and bella means beautiful/gorgeous.

Jennymf

Hi he is very friendly with her, very friendly indeed, it is supposed to be slightly cryptic, so would it work then?
Thanks for help Jay.

Jay Mandal

It's probably best, if you've enough time, to wait for Liz to ask her son's friend. I studied Italian for only two years.

Kateyanne's "Sei bellissima" may be better. It's the superlative form of the adjective (kind, kinder, KINDEST/MOST KIND).

Liz

Well, I have asked son's friend. Nothing as yet, he said it is not possible to do a literal translation as the verb to 'look' like is not used. You would say you 'are'. He's on the way, I'll tell you later if he comes up with something..

Liz

Well! The horses mouth, or Davide, says either:

Look at how beautiful you are!

Guarda come sei bella!

OR

You're beautiful!

Sei Bellissima!

Liz

Have to say, the first sounds so... lovely in an Italian accent!

Jay Mandal

I don't think there's any need for the capital 'B' (Bellissima); and note the double ss.

Liz

Yes, I wasn't sure, but that's how he wrote it, with a capital B, thought I'd better not take a chance - i did wonder if because it was becoming her name that's why he'd done it.

Jennymf

Thanks Liz and will you thank Davide for me as well . Just what I wanted Thanks Jay also . I can finish my story now knowing its correct .

Liz

No problem, and I will thank him for you next time he passes through the front hall, kitchen and then back hall hotly pursued by Lola, on the way upstairs to the X-Box in my sons room...

Woll22

Have you thought of purchasing a phrase book or enquire about language CD's?

Jennymf

Thanks Woll 22
I only needed it for two phrases and Liz ( and friend ) helped me.

Island Girl

[quote=Jennymf]can anyone speak Italian ?[/quote]

Ha ha, I spent a week in Italy just recently, Jenny, and the thing seems to be that all you have to do is to add an 'a' to the end of most words and you're home free. It's what the Italians do.
eg: "If you-a take-a the road-a down-a therrrre, you will soon-a get-a to the piazza wherrrre you-a will-a find-a all of the-a shoppingg-a." (Well I understood that perfectly well) The tour guide I had in Pompeii was just as liberal with her 'a' s.

Apologies. I know you are asking a legitimate question and would love to have helped.

Jennymf

I like your version Island Girl , But oh if-a- it-a- been-a so-a easy-a