{"id":18430,"date":"2017-01-26T00:12:29","date_gmt":"2017-01-25T15:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=18430"},"modified":"2026-03-15T10:44:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T01:44:44","slug":"italian-repeated-words-change-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-repeated-words-change-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Repeated Words That Change Meaning | 15 Examples &#8220;Ancora ancora&#8221;, &#8220;giusto giusto&#8221; and other fun Italian words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"seo-intro\">In Italian, <strong>repeating a word can completely change its meaning<\/strong>. Say <em>piano<\/em> and it means &#8220;slowly.&#8221; Say <em>piano piano<\/em> and it means &#8220;carefully, step by step.&#8221; Say <em>quasi<\/em> and it means &#8220;almost.&#8221; Say <em>quasi quasi<\/em> and suddenly you&#8217;re tempted to do something impulsive. This is <em>reduplicazione espressiva<\/em>, one of the most distinctive features of spoken Italian. Here are <strong>15 Italian repeated words<\/strong> that will make you sound like a native.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Italian Repeated Words That Change Meaning \u2013 <em>La reduplicazione espressiva<\/em><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#ab2227;color:#ab2227\"\/>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-f7d0e891 gb-container gb-container-f7d0e891\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">What You&#8217;ll Learn Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to any section<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#how-it-works\">How It Works<\/a> &#8211; <em>Come funziona<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#ancora-ancora\">Ancora ancora \u2013 &#8220;At least that&#8217;s tolerable&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#quasi-quasi\">Quasi quasi \u2013 &#8220;I&#8217;m tempted to\u2026&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#giusto-giusto\">Giusto giusto \u2013 &#8220;A perfect fit&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#piano-piano\">Piano piano \u2013 &#8220;Step by step&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#zitto-zitto\">Zitto zitto \u2013 &#8220;Behind the curtain&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#more-meaning-changers\">More Words That Change Meaning<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#intensifiers\">Intensifiers \u2013 When Doubling = &#8220;Very&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#nouns\">Doubled Nouns \u2013 &#8220;The Real Thing&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#verbs\">Verbs and Fairy Tales<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#dialogue\">Dialogo: Una domenica di pioggia<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#summary\">Quick Reference Table<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-it-works\">How It Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The principle is beautifully simple: <strong>more form = more meaning<\/strong>. When you double a word, you amplify its force. <em>Nero<\/em> is black; <em>nero nero<\/em> is pitch-black. This is called <strong>reduplicazione espressiva<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/enciclopedia\/reduplicazione-espressiva_(Enciclopedia-dell&#039;Italiano)\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">expressive reduplication<\/a>), and it appears in over 300 languages worldwide, but Italian uses it with particular richness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s the twist: sometimes doubling a word doesn&#8217;t just make it stronger. It <strong>creates an entirely new meaning<\/strong>. <em>Bello<\/em> means &#8220;beautiful,&#8221; but <em>bel bello<\/em> means &#8220;calmly.&#8221; <em>Niente<\/em> means &#8220;nothing,&#8221; but <em>niente niente<\/em> means &#8220;if by any chance.&#8221; These are the expressions that catch learners by surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-consiglio-pronun\">\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udccc Pronunciation tip:<\/strong> In the intensifying use (<em>nero nero<\/em> = very black), the two words flow together <strong>without a pause<\/strong>. If you add a pause, <em>nero&#8230; nero<\/em>, it becomes emphatic and dramatic, like English &#8220;dark&#8230; really dark.&#8221; The comma changes the meaning.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#ab2227;color:#ab2227\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ancora-ancora\">Ancora ancora \u2013 &#8220;At least that&#8217;s tolerable&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The word <em><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/2015\/05\/the-italian-word-ancora-idioms-and-podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ancora<\/a><\/em> (emphasis on anc<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>o<\/strong><\/span>ra) has different meanings. It can be &#8220;again&#8221;, &#8220;not yet&#8221; (as <em>non ancora<\/em>), &#8220;still&#8221;, &#8220;so far&#8221;, depending on the position in the sentence, the situation etcetera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also a very peculiar use: when repeated, <strong><em>ancora ancora<\/em><\/strong>, the meaning changes completely. This is one of the most surprising Italian repeated words. We say <em>ancora ancora<\/em> in contrast to something unacceptable, unbearable, of low quality, to mean that something else is quite acceptable in comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Gioco malissimo a calcio, ma a pallavolo <em>ancora ancora<\/em> me la cavo.<\/strong><br><em>I&#8217;m terrible at football, but at volleyball, at least I can hold my own.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sono vegetariano e non mi piace la carne. Le uova <em>ancora ancora<\/em>.<\/strong><br><em>I&#8217;m vegetarian and I don&#8217;t like meat. Eggs, at least, are acceptable.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ci sono troppi turisti a Venezia in Agosto. A Verona <em>ancora ancora<\/em> si riesce a camminare.<\/strong><br><em>There are too many tourists in Venice in August. In Verona, at least you can still walk around.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/quasi-quasi-01.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quasi-quasi\">Quasi quasi \u2013 &#8220;I&#8217;m tempted to\u2026&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You should be familiar with the word <em>Quasi<\/em>. It comes straight from Latin into Italian (and English) and it means &#8220;almost&#8221;. So, <em>Ho quasi finito<\/em>, means that I&#8217;m almost done and so on. If we repeat it, as <em><strong>quasi quasi<\/strong><\/em>, the meaning changes completely. Among all Italian repeated words, this one is perhaps the most useful. It roughly means &#8220;having half a mind to&#8230;&#8221;, to be tempted to&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Oggi fa bel tempo, <em>quasi quasi<\/em> vado al mare.<\/strong><br><em>It&#8217;s nice weather today, I&#8217;m half tempted to go to the beach.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ho un po&#8217; di febbre. <em>Quasi quasi<\/em> non vado in ufficio.<\/strong><br><em>I have a slight fever. Maybe I should just skip the office.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Si \u00e8 fatto tardi, <em>quasi quasi<\/em> \u00e8 meglio tornare a casa.<\/strong><br><em>It&#8217;s gotten late, I&#8217;m thinking we should just go home.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/quasi-quasi-02.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"giusto-giusto\">Giusto giusto \u2013 &#8220;A perfect fit&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another popular example of Italian repeated words is <strong><em>giusto giusto<\/em><\/strong>. <em>Giusto<\/em> alone means right, correct or just. When we say it twice, it means that something is a perfect match, it fits, is just what I need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Queste scarpe mi vanno <em>giuste giuste<\/em>.<\/strong><br><em>These shoes fit me perfectly.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Laura \u00e8 <em>giusta giusta<\/em> per Federico.<\/strong><br><em>Laura is the perfect match for Federico.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Oggi \u00e8 una giornata <em>giusta giusta<\/em> per correre al parco.<\/strong><br><em>Today is just the right kind of day for a run in the park.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/quasi-quasi-03.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"piano-piano\">Piano piano \u2013 &#8220;Carefully, step by step&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you play the piano, perhaps you know it&#8217;s an instrument created in Italy. The Italian name is <em>pianoforte<\/em>, meaning &#8220;soft and loud&#8221;. <em>Piano<\/em> is an adverb. <em>Corro piano<\/em> means I run slowly. <strong><em>Piano piano<\/em><\/strong> means carefully, very slowly or with a low or slow voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s a beautiful Italian proverb: <strong><em>Piano piano si va lontano.<\/em><\/strong> (Slowly and steadily you go far.) You can also say <em>pian piano<\/em> or <em>pian pianino<\/em>. The diminutive makes it even more delicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Se parli l&#8217;inglese <em>piano piano<\/em>, ti capisco.<\/strong><br><em>If you speak English slowly, I can understand you.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mia nonna ha 90 anni, ma <em>piano piano<\/em> va in paese a piedi a fare la spesa.<\/strong><br><em>My grandmother is 90, but slowly and carefully she walks to town to do the shopping.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>Piano piano<\/em>, studiando molto, ho imparato lo spagnolo.<\/strong><br><em>Little by little, studying a lot, I learned Spanish.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/quasi-quasi-04.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"zitto-zitto\">Zitto zitto \u2013 &#8220;Behind the curtain&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Zitto<\/em> means silent, <em>stare zitto<\/em> (or <em>zitta<\/em>) is &#8220;to be silent&#8221;, sometimes &#8220;to shut up&#8221;. <em><strong>Zitto zitto<\/strong><\/em> is quite funny. We use it when someone does something &#8220;behind the curtain&#8221;, without drawing attention. It often implies a pleasant surprise or a clever move that nobody expected. We usually put it at the beginning of the sentence. It agrees with the subject: <em>zitto zitto<\/em> (m.), <em>zitta zitta<\/em> (f.), <em>zitti zitti<\/em> (pl.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Zitto zitto, Michele ha comprato la casa al mare.<\/strong><br><em>Without telling a soul, Michele bought a house at the beach.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Zitta zitta, Laura ha lavorato molto ed \u00e8 stata promossa.<\/strong><br><em>Working quietly behind the scenes, Laura got promoted.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Zitti zitti, i tuoi amici hanno organizzato una festa a sorpresa.<\/strong><br><em>Without you knowing, your friends organized a surprise party.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/quasi-quasi-05.mp3\" preload=\"auto\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-osserva-audio\">\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udd0d Did you notice?<\/strong> Rossini used <em>zitto zitto<\/em> together with <em>piano piano<\/em> in his opera <em>La Cenerentola<\/em> (Cinderella): <em>&#8220;Zitto zitto, piano piano, non facciamo confusione.&#8221;<\/em> Two reduplications in one sentence! And the great Manzoni uses <em>zitto zitto<\/em> in <em>I Promessi Sposi<\/em> to describe characters moving stealthily.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#ab2227;color:#ab2227\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"more-meaning-changers\">More Words That Change Meaning When Doubled<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian has many more of these <strong>Italian repeated words<\/strong> that will surprise you. Here are some you&#8217;ll hear constantly in everyday conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bel bello \u2013 &#8220;Calmly, without a care in the world&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Bello<\/em> means &#8220;beautiful,&#8221; but <strong>bel bello<\/strong> does NOT mean &#8220;very beautiful.&#8221; It means <strong>&#8220;calmly, at a leisurely pace, without hurrying.&#8221;<\/strong> Manzoni used it at the very opening of <em>I Promessi Sposi<\/em>, Italy&#8217;s most important novel, where Don Abbondio walks <em>bel bello<\/em> home from his evening stroll, blissfully unaware of the trouble around the corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Don Abbondio se ne tornava bel bello dalla passeggiata verso casa.<\/strong><br><em>Don Abbondio was strolling home leisurely from his walk.<\/em> (Manzoni, I Promessi Sposi)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Il ladro \u00e8 uscito dal negozio bel bello, come se niente fosse.<\/strong><br><em>The thief walked out of the shop calmly, as if nothing had happened.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sotto sotto \u2013 &#8220;Deep down, secretly&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sotto<\/em> means &#8220;under.&#8221; <strong>Sotto sotto<\/strong> means <strong>&#8220;deep down,&#8221; &#8220;secretly,&#8221; &#8220;at the bottom of one&#8217;s heart.&#8221;<\/strong> It reveals hidden feelings or motivations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Dice che non gli importa, ma sotto sotto \u00e8 geloso morto.<\/strong><br><em>He says he doesn&#8217;t care, but deep down he&#8217;s insanely jealous.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fa la dura, ma sotto sotto \u00e8 una romanticona.<\/strong><br><em>She acts tough, but deep down she&#8217;s a big romantic.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sotto sotto, sapevo che quel lavoro non faceva per me.<\/strong><br><em>Deep down, I knew that job wasn&#8217;t right for me.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cos\u00ec cos\u00ec \u2013 &#8220;So-so, mediocre&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Cos\u00ec<\/em> means &#8220;so&#8221; or &#8220;like this.&#8221; <strong>Cos\u00ec cos\u00ec<\/strong> = <strong>&#8220;neither good nor bad,&#8221; &#8220;so-so.&#8221;<\/strong> One of the first expressions every tourist in Italy learns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u2013 Com&#8217;\u00e8 il ristorante nuovo? \u2013 Cos\u00ec cos\u00ec. Non ci tornerei.<\/strong><br><em>\u2013 How&#8217;s the new restaurant? \u2013 So-so. I wouldn&#8217;t go back.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>L&#8217;esame \u00e8 andato cos\u00ec cos\u00ec, spero di averlo passato.<\/strong><br><em>The exam went so-so, I hope I passed.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Niente niente \u2013 &#8220;If by any chance&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Niente<\/em> means &#8220;nothing.&#8221; But <strong>niente niente<\/strong> flips into <strong>&#8220;if by any chance,&#8221; &#8220;just in case.&#8221;<\/strong> It introduces an unwelcome possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Se niente niente piove, porto l&#8217;ombrello.<\/strong><br><em>Just in case it rains, I&#8217;ll bring an umbrella.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Niente niente domani ci tocca lavorare anche di sabato.<\/strong><br><em>If worse comes to worst, tomorrow we&#8217;ll have to work Saturday too.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stringi stringi \u2013 &#8220;When all is said and done&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Stringere<\/em> means &#8220;to squeeze.&#8221; <strong>Stringi stringi<\/strong> is used to cut to the chase: <strong>&#8220;at the end of the day,&#8221; &#8220;when you boil it down.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ha parlato per un&#8217;ora, ma stringi stringi non ha detto niente.<\/strong><br><em>He talked for an hour, but when all is said and done, he said nothing.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stringi stringi, il problema \u00e8 sempre lo stesso: mancano i soldi.<\/strong><br><em>At the end of the day, the problem is always the same: there&#8217;s no money.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quatto quatto \u2013 &#8220;Sneaking, on tiptoe&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Quatto<\/em> means &#8220;crouching,&#8221; but it&#8217;s almost never used alone. <strong>Quatto quatto<\/strong> describes someone moving <strong>furtively, sneaking, trying not to be seen<\/strong>. Dante used it in the <em>Inferno<\/em>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/socquatto-%C3%A8-una-parola-della-lingua-italiana\/1243\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Accademia della Crusca<\/a> recorded it in its very first dictionary. It&#8217;s the quintessential fairy-tale word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Il gatto si \u00e8 avvicinato quatto quatto all&#8217;uccellino.<\/strong><br><em>The cat sneaked up on the little bird.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sono uscito quatto quatto dalla riunione, sperando che nessuno se ne accorgesse.<\/strong><br><em>I crept out of the meeting, hoping nobody would notice.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-mini-sfida-1\">\n\n<p><strong>\ud83c\udfaf Mini-challenge:<\/strong> Fill in the doubled word:<br><br>\n1. Dice che non le piace, ma _______ _______ le piace eccome. (deep down)<br>\n2. Ho visto una borsa bellissima. _______ _______ la compro. (I&#8217;m tempted to)<br>\n3. Ha parlato tre ore, ma _______ _______ non ha detto nulla. (when all is said and done)<br>\n4. Il gatto si \u00e8 avvicinato _______ _______ al topo. (stealthily)<br>\n5. \u2013 Come stai? \u2013 _______ _______. (so-so)<br><br>\n<small><em>Answers: 1. sotto sotto \/ 2. quasi quasi \/ 3. stringi stringi \/ 4. quatto quatto \/ 5. cos\u00ec cos\u00ec<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#ab2227;color:#ab2227\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"intensifiers\">Intensifiers \u2013 When Doubling = &#8220;Very&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The simplest use of Italian repeated words is <strong>intensification<\/strong>. Almost any adjective or adverb can be doubled to mean &#8220;very&#8221; or &#8220;extremely.&#8221; This is an alternative to the <em>-issimo<\/em> suffix and is especially common in spoken Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>La pizza era calda calda, appena uscita dal forno.<\/strong><br><em>The pizza was piping hot, straight out of the oven.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fuori \u00e8 buio buio, non si vede niente.<\/strong><br><em>It&#8217;s pitch dark outside, you can&#8217;t see a thing.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>L&#8217;acqua del lago era limpida limpida.<\/strong><br><em>The lake water was crystal clear.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hanno una casa piccola piccola ma piena di calore.<\/strong><br><em>They have a tiny little house but full of warmth.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Vieni subito subito, \u00e8 urgente!<\/strong><br><em>Come right this second, it&#8217;s urgent!<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nouns\">Doubled Nouns \u2013 &#8220;The Real Thing&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The world of Italian repeated words doesn&#8217;t stop at adjectives and adverbs. When Italians double a <strong>noun<\/strong>, they emphasise <strong>authenticity<\/strong>: the genuine article, not a substitute. Linguists call this <strong>contrastive focus reduplication<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Voglio un caff\u00e8 caff\u00e8, non la roba del distributore.<\/strong><br><em>I want a real coffee, not that vending machine stuff.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u00c8 un maglione di lana lana, non sintetico.<\/strong><br><em>It&#8217;s real wool, not synthetic.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Abito a Roma Roma, non a Fiumicino.<\/strong><br><em>I live in Rome proper, not out by the airport.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Non \u00e8 un amico amico, \u00e8 pi\u00f9 un conoscente.<\/strong><br><em>He&#8217;s not a real friend, more of an acquaintance.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"verbs\">Verbs, Fairy Tales and Compound Nouns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cammina cammina \u2013 The fairy-tale formula<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian repeated words go beyond adjectives and adverbs. In Italian fairy tales, you&#8217;ll always find <strong>cammina cammina<\/strong>, &#8220;he walked and walked and walked.&#8221; The imperative form is repeated to convey the passage of time, building anticipation. Pinocchio gives us a wonderful example: his nose <em>&#8220;cominci\u00f2 a crescere; e cresci, cresci, cresci divent\u00f2 in pochi minuti un nasone che non finiva mai.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cammina cammina, arrivarono in un bosco incantato.<\/strong><br><em>After walking and walking, they arrived at an enchanted forest.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Via via \/ Man mano \u2013 &#8220;Gradually&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Via via<\/strong> = &#8220;progressively, little by little.&#8221; <strong>Man mano<\/strong> (from <em>mano a mano<\/em>) = &#8220;gradually, as things develop.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Via via che passano i giorni, il mio italiano migliora.<\/strong><br><em>As the days go by, my Italian improves.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Man mano che il sole tramontava, il cielo diventava rosso.<\/strong><br><em>As the sun set, the sky turned red.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bonus: Compound nouns from repeated verbs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>un fuggifuggi<\/strong> \u2013 a stampede, a chaotic rush (<em>Quando \u00e8 suonato l&#8217;allarme, c&#8217;\u00e8 stato un fuggifuggi generale.<\/em>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>un leccalecca<\/strong> \u2013 a lollipop (from <em>leccare<\/em>, to lick)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>il tran tran<\/strong> \u2013 the daily grind, routine (<em>Sono stanco del solito tran tran.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#ab2227;color:#ab2227\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialogue\">Dialogo: Una domenica di pioggia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A rainy Sunday. This dialogue uses 8 different Italian repeated words in a natural conversation. Can you spot them all?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-a1b2c3d4\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83d\udc69 <strong>Giulia:<\/strong> Che noia questa pioggia. <strong>Quasi quasi<\/strong> resto sul divano tutto il giorno.<br><em>This rain is so boring. I&#8217;m half tempted to just stay on the sofa all day.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udc68 <strong>Luca:<\/strong> Dai, non fare la pigra. <strong>Sotto sotto<\/strong> lo sai che vuoi uscire.<br><em>Come on, don&#8217;t be lazy. Deep down you know you want to go out.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udc69 <strong>Giulia:<\/strong> Il cinema <strong>ancora ancora<\/strong>&#8230; ma con questa pioggia non ho voglia di camminare.<br><em>The cinema, at least that&#8217;s bearable&#8230; but I don&#8217;t feel like walking in this rain.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udc68 <strong>Luca:<\/strong> Il cinema sotto casa ha orari <strong>giusti giusti<\/strong> per noi: c&#8217;\u00e8 uno spettacolo alle tre.<br><em>The cinema round the corner has showings that work perfectly: there&#8217;s one at three.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udc69 <strong>Giulia:<\/strong> \u2013 Com&#8217;\u00e8 il film? \u2013 <strong>Cos\u00ec cos\u00ec<\/strong> secondo le recensioni, ma non c&#8217;\u00e8 altro.<br><em>\u2013 How&#8217;s the film? \u2013 So-so according to reviews, but there&#8217;s nothing else on.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udc68 <strong>Luca:<\/strong> Andiamo lo stesso. <strong>Piano piano<\/strong> ci prepariamo. Ah, e ho anche prenotato un tavolo da Mario per stasera.<br><em>Let&#8217;s go anyway. We&#8217;ll get ready without rushing. Oh, and I also booked a table at Mario&#8217;s for tonight.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udc69 <strong>Giulia:<\/strong> <strong>Zitto zitto<\/strong> hai prenotato senza dirmi niente! Sei il solito&#8230;<br><em>You sneakily booked without telling me! You&#8217;re always the same&#8230;<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83d\udc68 <strong>Luca:<\/strong> <strong>Stringi stringi<\/strong>, mi ringrazierai. Muoviti, <strong>subito subito<\/strong>!<br><em>At the end of the day, you&#8217;ll thank me. Move it, right now!<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-osserva-dialogo\">\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udd0d Spot the reduplications:<\/strong> This short dialogue contains <strong>8 doubled expressions<\/strong>. Can you find them all? Notice how naturally they flow in everyday conversation. This is exactly how Italians speak among friends.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-background is-style-wide\" style=\"background-color:#ab2227;color:#ab2227\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"summary\">Quick Reference: All Italian Repeated Words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th>Single word<\/th><th>Meaning<\/th><th>Doubled form<\/th><th>New meaning<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>quasi<\/strong><\/td><td>almost<\/td><td><strong>quasi quasi<\/strong><\/td><td>I&#8217;m tempted to\u2026<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>ancora<\/strong><\/td><td>still \/ again<\/td><td><strong>ancora ancora<\/strong><\/td><td>at least tolerable<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>zitto<\/strong><\/td><td>silent<\/td><td><strong>zitto zitto<\/strong><\/td><td>sneakily, without telling anyone<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>bello<\/strong><\/td><td>beautiful<\/td><td><strong>bel bello<\/strong><\/td><td>calmly, at a leisurely pace<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>sotto<\/strong><\/td><td>under<\/td><td><strong>sotto sotto<\/strong><\/td><td>deep down, secretly<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>cos\u00ec<\/strong><\/td><td>so \/ like this<\/td><td><strong>cos\u00ec cos\u00ec<\/strong><\/td><td>so-so, mediocre<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>niente<\/strong><\/td><td>nothing<\/td><td><strong>niente niente<\/strong><\/td><td>if by any chance<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>stringi<\/strong><\/td><td>squeeze<\/td><td><strong>stringi stringi<\/strong><\/td><td>when all is said and done<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>quatto<\/strong><\/td><td>crouching<\/td><td><strong>quatto quatto<\/strong><\/td><td>sneaking, on tiptoe<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>piano<\/strong><\/td><td>slowly<\/td><td><strong>piano piano<\/strong><\/td><td>very slowly, step by step<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>giusto<\/strong><\/td><td>correct<\/td><td><strong>giusto giusto<\/strong><\/td><td>a perfect fit<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>caff\u00e8<\/strong><\/td><td>coffee<\/td><td><strong>caff\u00e8 caff\u00e8<\/strong><\/td><td>a real coffee, the genuine thing<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>via<\/strong><\/td><td>away<\/td><td><strong>via via<\/strong><\/td><td>progressively, gradually<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>These Italian repeated words are one of those features that textbooks rarely cover but Italians use constantly. Once you start noticing them in conversations, films, songs, you&#8217;ll hear them everywhere. And once you start using them yourself, you&#8217;ll see the reaction: a smile that says <em>&#8220;this person really speaks Italian.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-mini-sfida-2\">\n\n<p><strong>\ud83c\udfaf Final challenge:<\/strong> Try writing 3 sentences using different doubled words from this lesson. Post them in the comments or send them to your teacher. We&#8217;d love to read them!<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to learn more spoken Italian with a native teacher, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/\">create a free account<\/a><\/strong> on Dante Learning to get a free trial lesson, and <strong>piano piano<\/strong>, you&#8217;ll get there!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Italian, repeating a word can completely change its meaning. Say piano and it means &#8220;slowly.&#8221; Say piano piano and it means &#8220;carefully, step by step.&#8221; Say quasi and it means &#8220;almost.&#8221; Say quasi quasi and suddenly you&#8217;re tempted to do something impulsive. This is reduplicazione espressiva, one of the most distinctive features of spoken &#8230; <a title=\"Italian Repeated Words That Change Meaning | 15 Examples &#8220;Ancora ancora&#8221;, &#8220;giusto giusto&#8221; and other fun Italian words\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-repeated-words-change-meaning\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Italian Repeated Words That Change Meaning | 15 Examples &#8220;Ancora ancora&#8221;, &#8220;giusto giusto&#8221; and other fun Italian words\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1230,1231,1233,1232],"class_list":["post-18430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lingua","tag-ancora-ancora","tag-giusto-giusto","tag-quasi-quasi","tag-zitto-zitto","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18430"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18430\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58644,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18430\/revisions\/58644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}