Famous Italian Phrases and Sayings About Life
🇮🇹 Italian · 30 cards · B1 · by Giulia Ferrante
These are the sayings you actually hear in Italy: at the table, in the office, in the queue at the post office. I teach Italian to travellers and expats in Bologna, and proverbs are usually the first thing students ask for, because Italians drop them mid-conversation and expect you to nod.
Two things are tricky. First, the grammar is frozen and old-fashioned (piglia instead of prende, fu fatta instead of è stata fatta) — learn each phrase whole, do not rebuild it. Second, timing: a proverb works as a comment on something that has just happened, not as an opening line. Each card gives you the literal image plus the moment to say it.
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How to use this deck
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 30 cards
| # | Italian | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meglio tardi che mai. Very common, neutral register. Usually said with a smile to someone who is finally doing something. | Better late than never. | Hai finito la tesi dopo cinque anni? Meglio tardi che mai. You finished your thesis after five years? Better late than never. | |
| 2 | Sbagliando s'impara. Literally "by making mistakes one learns". The standard thing to say to comfort someone. | You learn from your mistakes. | Non prendertela per l'errore: sbagliando s'impara. Don't be upset about the mistake: you learn by making mistakes. | |
| 3 | Chi cerca trova. Encouraging. Also used ironically: keep digging and you will find trouble. | Seek and you shall find. | Continua a mandare curriculum: chi cerca trova. Keep sending out your CV: those who search, find. | |
| 4 | Chi dorme non piglia pesci. Literally "whoever sleeps catches no fish". *Piglia* is an old form of *prende*; keep it as it is. | You snooze, you lose. | Sono già le dieci, alzati! Chi dorme non piglia pesci. It's already ten, get up! You snooze, you lose. | |
| 5 | Anno nuovo, vita nuova. Said around New Year, often half-joking about resolutions nobody keeps. | New year, new life. | Da gennaio mi iscrivo in palestra: anno nuovo, vita nuova. From January I'm joining a gym: new year, new life. | |
| 6 | Finché c'è vita c'è speranza. Used for sport, exams, job applications — any situation that looks lost but is not over yet. | Where there's life, there's hope. | Stiamo perdendo tre a zero, ma finché c'è vita c'è speranza. We're losing three nil, but where there's life there's hope. | |
| 7 | Vivi e lascia vivere. A gentle way to tell someone to stop judging other people's choices. | Live and let live. | Lascia in pace i vicini: vivi e lascia vivere. Leave the neighbours alone: live and let live. | |
| 8 | Non c'è due senza tre. Literally "there is no two without three". Used for repeated mishaps, and also for lucky streaks. | These things come in threes. | Ho rotto due bicchieri stamattina: non c'è due senza tre! I broke two glasses this morning: things always come in threes! | |
| 9 | Chi va piano va sano e va lontano. Literally "whoever goes slowly goes safely and goes far". Also said, literally, to drivers going too fast. | Slow and steady wins the race. | Non avere fretta con l'italiano: chi va piano va sano e va lontano. Don't rush your Italian: slow and steady gets you far. | |
| 10 | Chi fa da sé fa per tre. Literally "whoever acts alone does the work of three". | If you want something done right, do it yourself. | Monto l'armadio da solo: chi fa da sé fa per tre. I'm assembling the wardrobe on my own: doing it yourself is worth three people. | |
| 11 | Chi trova un amico trova un tesoro. Warm and slightly sentimental; perfectly fine to say to a friend's face. | A friend is a treasure. | Mi hai aiutato col trasloco: chi trova un amico trova un tesoro. You helped me with the move: whoever finds a friend finds a treasure. | |
| 12 | L'appetito vien mangiando. *Vien* is the clipped form of *viene*. Used at the table and figuratively: the more you get, the more you want. | Appetite comes with eating. | Non avevo fame, ma l'appetito vien mangiando. I wasn't hungry, but appetite comes as you eat. | |
| 13 | Tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare. Literally "between saying and doing there is the sea in between". | Easier said than done. | Dice che smette di fumare, ma tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare. He says he'll quit smoking, but that's easier said than done. | |
| 14 | A caval donato non si guarda in bocca. *Caval* is the shortened poetic form of *cavallo*; the proverb is fixed, don't say *cavallo* here. | Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. | Il maglione è enorme, però a caval donato non si guarda in bocca. The jumper is huge, but you don't look a gift horse in the mouth. | |
| 15 | L'abito non fa il monaco. Literally "the habit doesn't make the monk". | Don't judge a book by its cover. | Sembra uno snob, ma l'abito non fa il monaco. He looks like a snob, but you can't judge by appearances. | |
| 16 | Mal comune, mezzo gaudio. Literally "a shared misfortune is half a joy". Said with resignation and humour when someone is in the same mess as you. | A trouble shared is a trouble halved; misery loves company. | Anche tu hai perso il treno? Mal comune, mezzo gaudio. You missed the train too? A trouble shared is a trouble halved. | |
| 17 | Meglio soli che male accompagnati. Very common about friendships and relationships; the plural *soli* stays fixed even about one person. | Better alone than in bad company. | Ho lasciato quel gruppo: meglio soli che male accompagnati. I left that group: better alone than in bad company. | |
| 18 | Non tutto il male viene per nuocere. Literally "not all evil comes to do harm". Said after the fact, once something bad has turned out well. | Every cloud has a silver lining. | Ho perso il lavoro e ne ho trovato uno migliore: non tutto il male viene per nuocere. I lost my job and found a better one: not every bad thing comes to do harm. | |
| 19 | Paese che vai, usanza che trovi. Literally "the country you go to, the custom you find". Very handy for travellers. | When in Rome, do as the Romans do. | Qui si cena alle dieci: paese che vai, usanza che trovi. Here people have dinner at ten: different country, different customs. | |
| 20 | Tutte le strade portano a Roma. Means there is more than one way to reach the same result. | All roads lead to Rome. | Fai come preferisci, tutte le strade portano a Roma. Do it however you like, all roads lead to Rome. | |
| 21 | Roma non fu fatta in un giorno. Keeps the literary past tense *fu fatta*; you will also hear *Roma non è stata costruita in un giorno*. | Rome wasn't built in a day. | Abbi pazienza con l'italiano: Roma non fu fatta in un giorno. Be patient with your Italian: Rome wasn't built in a day. | |
| 22 | Batti il ferro finché è caldo. Imperative addressed to one person (tu); for a group say *battete il ferro...*. | Strike while the iron is hot. | Ti hanno risposto? Chiamali subito: batti il ferro finché è caldo. They replied to you? Call them right away: strike while the iron is hot. | |
| 23 | Chi troppo vuole nulla stringe. Literally "whoever wants too much grips nothing". A mild reproach, so use it carefully. | Grasp all, lose all. | Hai rifiutato due offerte buone: chi troppo vuole nulla stringe. You turned down two good offers: want too much and you end up with nothing. | |
| 24 | Il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio. Always about bad habits, never good ones, and always critical of the person. | A leopard can't change its spots. | È tornato a scommettere: il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio. He's back to betting: the wolf loses its fur but not its vice. | |
| 25 | Ride bene chi ride ultimo. Slightly threatening tone; common in sport and office rivalries. | He who laughs last laughs longest. | Per ora esulta lui, ma ride bene chi ride ultimo. He's celebrating for now, but he who laughs last laughs longest. | |
| 26 | Una rondine non fa primavera. Italian says *primavera* (spring) where English says summer. Used to play down a single good result. | One swallow doesn't make a summer. | Hai vinto una partita: una rondine non fa primavera. You won one match: one swallow doesn't make a summer. | |
| 27 | Il dolce far niente A noun phrase, not a full saying. Italians do use it, often with light self-irony. | the sweetness of doing nothing | Ad agosto mi dedico al dolce far niente. In August I devote myself to sweet idleness. | |
| 28 | La dolce vita Made famous by Fellini's 1960 film; today mostly ironic, about money and leisure. | the good life, the sweet life | Con questo stipendio non è proprio la dolce vita. On this salary it's hardly the sweet life. | |
| 29 | Piove sul bagnato. Literally "it rains on what is already wet". Most often about bad luck piling up, but also used, with envy, about someone who is already lucky. | When it rains, it pours; the rich get richer. | Ha perso il lavoro e adesso anche il portafoglio: piove sul bagnato. He lost his job and now his wallet too: when it rains, it pours. | |
| 30 | Acqua in bocca! Literally "water in the mouth" (so you can't speak). Informal, for friends and colleagues you know well. | Keep it to yourself!, Mum's the word! | Ti dico una cosa, ma acqua in bocca! I'll tell you something, but keep it quiet! |
Giulia Ferrante
Native Italian · Speaks English, French
From Bologna, where the food vocabulary alone could fill a deck. I teach Italian to travellers and expats and build decks around the situations they land in first.
Published
Questions about this deck
- Do Italians really still use these proverbs?
- Yes, nearly all of them are alive in everyday speech. The ones you will hear several times a week are *meglio tardi che mai*, *mal comune mezzo gaudio*, *non c'è due senza tre*, *acqua in bocca* and *tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare*. They work best as a one-line comment on something that has just happened, not as a way to open a conversation.
- Why does "chi dorme non piglia pesci" use piglia instead of prende?
- *Pigliare* is an older, now largely regional verb meaning "to take, to catch". Proverbs preserve old grammar, so the phrase is frozen with *piglia*: say *chi dorme non prende pesci* and Italians will understand you, but it sounds wrong. The same freezing happens in *a caval donato* (not *cavallo*) and *Roma non fu fatta in un giorno* (literary past tense).
- What's the difference between "la dolce vita" and "il dolce far niente"?
- *La dolce vita* is a lifestyle of money, parties and leisure, strongly linked to Fellini's film and used today with a touch of irony. *Il dolce far niente* is smaller and more personal: the pleasure of doing absolutely nothing, an afternoon on the sofa or at the beach. You can enjoy *il dolce far niente* with no money at all.
- Which of these sayings can I use to encourage someone?
- Use *finché c'è vita c'è speranza* when a situation looks lost, *sbagliando s'impara* right after a mistake, *chi cerca trova* for someone job-hunting, and *Roma non fu fatta in un giorno* or *chi va piano va sano e va lontano* for someone impatient with slow progress. Avoid *chi troppo vuole nulla stringe* and *il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio*: both are criticisms of the person you are talking to.
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