Are traditional and polite Italian words getting boring for you?
We've got some great Italian insults in store today to digest. We're going to warn you, some of these are vulgar, but many of them are plain hilarious.
If you've been seeking an avenue to express your stress or simply a unique way to curse that English doesn't provide, this may be your savior.
What makes insults in Italian so unique?
First off, the Italian vocabulary is so rich with diversity and history. Like any language, the culture has a great deal of influence on the architect of its words and phrases. For example, you'll find that insulting someone in Italian is largely made up of cursing a family member or a religious figure. The latter is because of Italy's catholic majority.
The length of one's cursing is also a big contributor to how great an insult is. While English swear words tend to be short and to the point, the best Italian insults are sentences long.
Without further ado, we present you our top Italian insults to enjoy on your own or with friends.
12 Hilarious Italian Insults That You Wish You Knew Sooner
Let's start with these gli insulti (insults)...
1. Faccia di culo - Your face looks like your bottom
This is not meant to be a direct insult, but it can be perceived as one.It means that you take blatant actions without any regard of embarrassment or constraints. Say you're out on an expensive business dinner that you know you're not paying, and you decide to get the 5 drinks and the most expensive meal, you'll be a 'faccia di culo'.
2. Non hai capito una sega! – You don’t understand shit!
We all have one friend or colleague that loves to talk big game. They know the latest tech fad, celebrity gossips, or heavily in the conspiracy theory rabbit hole. Once in awhile is fine, but when you have to deal with this kind of annoyance every day or week, you've had enough.Whether they're native Italian speakers or you just want to express your frustration, yell this out!
3. Che due palle! - What the heck!
The literal translation for this is: what two balls. What's the historical meaning of this phrase? Who knows.Is it hilarious and fun to say? Heck yes.When someone reveals bad news or spills a drip of coffee on you, let 'em know about the two balls.
4. Sei un rompicoglioni – You’re a pain in the ass
Rompicoglioni can also mean ball breaker. Another one of these confusing and double meaning Italian insults for you. A non Italian speaker may mistaken this word for a type of pasta, but not you. You'll be smiling on the inside when you say this to someone.
4. Figura di merda - Shitty impression
The literal translation is shitty impression but it means that someone is completely embarrasing themselves, or is being a fool.
5. Dito al/nel culo - Finger up your butt
This is pretty self-explanatory as we have a similar phrase in English. Think of: 'up yours!' or any joke that revolves around your behind area.
6. Dare un calcio nel culo a qualcuno - to kick someone’s ass
This has an ironic literal translation which is: 'to help someone secretly.' What's great about it is how lengthy this insult is, which may take some time for you to practice. If you're already a Rype member, you can practice with your Italian tutor online in a safe environment.
7. Ci sei cascato come una pirla – You fell for it like a stupid person
We had to choose this one because for one: it's so damn long. Second, it's a long way around just calling someone an idiot.
8. Madonna - Good god
OK, maybe not the best insult. But we couldn't prepare a list of Italian insults without mentioning the queen Madonna herself. It's not surprise that Madonna's last name, Ciccone, is of Italian origin.
9. Che culo! - What a bottom!
No, this has nothing to do with your physical appearance. Culo means 'luck' in Italian, so it's talking about how lucky you are to be where you are. It may not be a direct insult to someone, but if you're referring to a spoiled kid who grew up in a wealthy family, yeah you may call it as it is.
As rudest insults as it comes
Be warned about using the following Italian curse words. Whoever you say this to is not going to be happy if it's not said in a joking manner.
10. Vaffanculo – F*ck you
The good old F word is present for any language, including Italian.
11. Tenere qualcuno per le palle - Have you by the balls
You can imagine how frustrated someone could get when you say this. Particularly someone who's not used to being bossed around or have an ego. By using 'palle' it's a more visual way of saying that you have someone by the palm of your hands. If you want to express yourself in a more polite way, you can also say 'tenere in pugno' which means 'to hold in your fist.'
12. Li mortacci tua, de tuo nonno, de tua madre e dei 3/4 daa palazzina tua - F*ck your dead relatives, and your grandfather's, and your mother's, and those of the three-quarters of your apartment block
We did say that the best Italian curses are lengthy, vulgar, and specific, which usually involves family members. This may be one of the best examples that involves all four.
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Keep up your Italian learning journey
There you go! We hope you enjoyed these Italian profanities, but know that this is just the beginning. Continue your journey by learning how to speak Italian with a professional teacher on Rype. Best of all, you can do it from the comforts of your home.
Try it today.You can also check out our other Italian learning articles:
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