Do phrasal verbs exist in Italian? The answer is yes. In Italian we have some verbs called verbi sintagmatici. These verbs are composed of a verb plus a particle (accanto, addosso, appresso, attorno, avanti, contro, dentro, dietro, fuori, giù, incontro, indietro, intorno, lontano, oltre, sopra, sotto, su, via, vicino). In some cases, you can easily guess the meaning of these verbs because they retain their standard meaning, such as andare su = go up. In some other cases, however, their meaning changes completely, such as fare fuori = to kill.
In this article you’re going to learn some idiomatic phrasal verbs in Italian.
Types of phrasal verbs in Italian
There are at least three types of phrasal verbs in Italian.
- The first group concerns those verbs where the particle carries a directional meaning, so it specifies the direction that the verb takes.
- The second group concerns those verbs where the particle intensifies the meaning that the verb already has.
- The third group concerns those verbs that have an idiomatic meaning.
It is also possible that a phrasal verb in Italian is part of more than one group according to the context and the meaning that it acquires.
Today I’m going to list some of the most difficult ones, namely the ones that have an idiomatic meaning.
Idiomatic phrasal verbs in Italian
a. Dare addosso
Dare addosso means to verbally attack someone, to harshly criticize someone.
Examples:
Enrico mi ha dato addosso perché è convinto che io sia un’ipocrita
Henry attacked me because he is convinced that I am a hypocrite.
La stampa gli ha dato addosso per aver mentito ripetutamente ai cittadini
The press attacked him for repeatedly lying to citizens
b. Essere sotto
Essere sotto means to be suffering a disadvantage. It’s generally used with numbers, especially in sports and games.
Examples:
La sua squadra era sotto di 5 goal.
His team was down by 5 goals.
Ero sotto di 5000 dollari ma per fortuna li ho recuperati tutti nelle ultime mani.
I was down $5,000 but, luckily, I got them back in the last few hands.
c. Fare fuori
Fare fuori means to kill.
Examples:
Davide è stato fatto fuori da un ubriaco mentre tornava a casa.
David was killed by a drunk on his way home.
Se non la pianti di rompere, ti faccio fuori!
If you don’t stop bugging me, I’ll kill you!
d. Mettere dentro
Mettere dentro means to arrest someone.
Examples:
Hai saputo che Francesco è stato messo dentro per spaccio di droga?
Did you hear that Francesco was arrested for drug dealing?
Per cosa ti hanno messo dentro?
What did they arrest you for?
e. Mettere sotto
Mettere sotto can have two meanings. It can mean to run over, and it can also mean to work hard.
Examples:
Alice è stata messa sotto da un pirata stradale.
Alice was run over by a hit-and-run driver.
Tu oggi ti metti sotto e impari a fare le equazioni una volta per tutte.
Today you work hard and learn how to do equations once and for all.
f. Tirare avanti
Tirare avanti generally means to get by, to live.
Examples:
Non trova lavoro e tira avanti come può, con qualche lavoretto qua e là.
He can’t find work and gets by as best he can with a few jobs here and there.
Luca tira ancora avanti con i diritti delle cinque canzoni che ha scritto più di trent’anni fa.
Luca still gets by with the rights to the five songs he wrote more than 30 years ago.
g. Tirare su
Tirare su can have several meanings in Italian. It can mean to build, to lift someone’s mood, and to raise someone.
Examples:
Hanno tirato su questo edificio in meno di un mese.
They built this building in less than a month.
Parlare con te mi ha tirato su il morale.
Talking to you cheered me up.
I miei genitori sono morti quando avevo 4 anni, così sono stato tirato su dai miei nonni.
My parents died when I was 4 years old, so I was raised by my grandparents.
h. Stare dietro
Stare dietro can have different meanings in Italian. It can mean to have a crush for someone, ask for something peristently trying to get something back, and it can also mean to look after children.
Examples:
Che Sara stava dietro a mio fratello lo sapevano tutti!
Everyone knew that Sara had a crush for my brother!
Sono mesi che gli sto dietro per farmi restituire i soldi che gli ho prestato.
I have been persistently asking him for months to return the money I lent him
Stare dietro a 5 bambini non è facile.
It’s not easy to look after five children!
Di you already know these 8 idiomatic phrasal verbs in Italian?
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Credits
Original image by Ylanite
Italian medieval towns: Castell’Arquato
