Many websites and postings on forums will tell
you that no-one speaks dialect any more.
This is a simply untrue. Here are a few typical
Bovinesi words and phrases, together with their Italian and English
translations.
Click on the Bovinesi phrase to hear how it
should be pronounced.
The Ciao Bovino team would like to express
our heart felt thanks to Marcuccio author of the
marrcord blog for his
invaluable help in correcting this page.
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te l'ho detto |
I've told you
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hai la testa dura |
you are stubborn. (lit. you have a hard / tough head).
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più tardi |
later (lit. now that it's after)
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la scarola mi apre lo stomaco |
I like frisé. (lit frisé opens my stomach) - Scarroul is the dialect name for a salad leaf with a bitter taste and curly shape.
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Che rincitrullito, che sciocco |
what a fool
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che bella bambina |
what a beautiful baby girl (note creature in the sense of part of God's Creation, not a monster)
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(che Dio) ti benedica, cresci |
(God) bless you (lit. bless grow grow) note the emphasis on grow simply by repeating the word
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è vero |
it's true (often used as an expression of agreement)
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io, me ne vado |
I'm going
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ho capito |
I've understood
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stai fermo |
keep still
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tu rei un dritto |
you are the son of a woman of ill repute
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sei figli di un po' pre ciascuno |
you are the son of a little of everyone (a mild insult calling into question the marital fidelity of your mother)
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Madonna com' è piovuto |
Mary mother of God how it rained
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non gridare |
don't shout
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stai zitto |
be quiet
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Bovino |
Bovino
Check out our other Bovinesi Dialect resource: Proverbs and Sayings