[mateymedialunas]

lately ive been finding it fascinating to think about all the common spanish words that are just. basically not used in rioplatense spanish. or at the very least porteño spanish im not about to talk about all of uruguay. like, the way it sounds absolutely unnatural to say "mayor" instead of "más grande", or how in imperative form for some reason we invariably use "andar" instead of "ir"

[mateymedialunas]

it's so much fun to me bc you'll read something written by someone who's familiarised with rioplatense spanish and it'll be nearly perfect until you notice they said "vete" instead of "andate" and you're like "oooh ok you're not from here"

[mateymedialunas]

theres so many verbs we just. dont use like you won't find someone saying "voltear" it's always "darse vuelta". i genuinely cant stop thinking about this ldkfjgklsdjfkl

[mateymedialunas]

oh oh also just as future tenses are pretty much unheard of (always "(present tense) ir + a + infinitive" instead), pretérito perfecto compuesto is very rare, we tend to simplify to perfecto simple (that is, "he estado" is uncommon, we generally only use "estuve")

[mateymedialunas]

realised yesterday we also use some verbs pretty much exclusively as reflexive for example you'd be hard pressed to find someone here saying "muero" instead of "me muero".

[mateymedialunas]

on the same line as "voltear"; we never use "besar" it's invariably "dar un beso". conversely you can use both abrazar or dar un abrazo

[sciogli-lingua]

Famous Italian tongue twisters

Loyal to my username, I’m here today to teach you some Italian scioglilingua! Our word for tongue twister is a slightly more optimistic one when compared to its English counterpart, literally meaning tongue loosener or tongue untier.

Before I begin, a disclaimer: of course these were all passed along by word of mouth from one person to another for generations, so there will be variations. These are simply the ones I remember from my childhood, the way I remember them. Enjoy!

Apelle, figlio di Apollo, fece una palla di pelle di pollo, e tutti i pesci vennero a galla per vedere la palla di pelle di pollo fatta da Apelle, figlio di Apollo. – Apelles, son of Apollo, made a ball out of chicken skin, and all the fish came to the surface to see the ball made out of chicken skin by Apelles, son of Apollo.

Apelles was, in fact, not the son of Apollo (at least not to my knowledge), but both a renowned Greek painter from the 4th century b.C. and a Gnostic thinker answered to the name.

Sul tagliere gli agli taglia, non tagliare la tovaglia! La tovaglia non è aglio: se la tagli, fai uno sbaglio. – Cut the garlic on the cutting board – don’t you cut the tablecloth! The tablecloth isn’t garlic, if you cut it, you’ll make a mistake.

This tongue twister is meant to practice the infamous /ʎʎ/ (and single /ʎ/) sound. While it’s notoriously tricky for foreigners to get right, it’s no walk in the park for Italians either – which is why you’re likely to often hear approximations of it in everyday speech, ranging from a single /ʎ/ in all cases or sometimes even something closer to an /l/ in the North to /j/ or /jj/ in the Central and Southern regions.

Trentatré trentini entrarono a (or in) Trento, tutti e trentatré trotterellando. – Thirty-three Trentines (= people from the city of Trento) entered Trento, all thrity-three of them trotting.

Trento is a city in the North of Italy; disappointingly enough, its denizens mostly don’t go trotting around.

Li vuoi quei kiwi? – Do you want those kiwis?

A longer version adds “E se non vuoi quei kiwi, che kiwi vuoi?” (”And if you don’t want those kiwis, which kiwis do you want?”)

Tigre contro tigre OR Tre tigri contro tre tigri – Tiger against tiger OR Three tigers against three tigers.

Basic and pro version.

Se l'Arcivescovo di Costantinopoli si disarcivescoviscostantinopolizzasse, vi disarcivescoviscostantinopolizzereste voi? – If the Archbishop of Constantinople renounced his position of Archbishop of Constantinople, would you renounce to your position of Archbishops of Constantinople as well?

This can go on for a while: some longer versions manage to add a couple more “de-archbishopizations”.

Sopra la panca la capra campa, sotto la panca la capra crepa. – On the bench the goat lives, under the bench the goat croaks.

“Croaks” as in “dies”, only more colloquial.

Se oggi seren non è, doman seren sarà; se non sarà seren, si rasserenerà. – If today the sky isn’t clear, it will be clear tomorrow; if it isn’t clear, it will get clearer later.

This tongue twister is an apocope fest, which gives it an old-timey feeling. Notice that some final vowels are dropped (seren = sereno, doman = domani): such a proceeding, a.k.a. apocope, was frequently used in poetry and in song, because it effectively shortens the word of a syllable (sereno has three syllables, seren has two), which was useful for rhythmic purposes.

Dietro il palazzo c'è un povero cane pazzo; date un pezzo di pane a quel povero pazzo cane. – Behind the building there’s a poor, mad doog; give a loaf of bread to that poor, mad dog.

Cut to middle schoolers giggling: this tongue twister, as a matter of fact, is just an elaborate trap to get a person to swear.

Una rara rana nera sulla rena errò una sera, una rara rana bianca sulla rena errò un po’ stanca. – A rare black frog wandered on the sand one evening, a rare white frog wandered, a little tired, on the sand.

Used to torture everybody with an “r moscia” (”weak R”, the common Italian name for rhotacism, or the inability to trill your Rs – it’s a thing among Italians as well!).

Orrore, orrore! Ho visto un ramarro marrone cadere nel burrone! (OR: Ho visto un ramarro verde su un muro marrone!) – The horror! I saw a brown lizard fall down the ravine! (OR: I saw a green lizard on a brown wall!)

Fun fact: ramarro apparently translates to “green lizard” – but I had to leave the green out for the purposes of this tongue twister.

[matkomakto]

Dialectos del español

I found an app/site where you can check what dialect of Spanish you speak, here’s a link: https://www.dialectosdelespanol.org/intro The quiz consists of 26 questions where you choose the option that seems correct to you. Then the site analyses what dialect you use. Here is my result:

Now you know which dialect you’ve been learning!

[carpintransa]

Los 600 discos de Latinoamérica - 1920 a 2022

Una celebración de la latinidad, sus géneros musicales, las nacionalidades y su historia, a través de 600 discos de Latinoamérica.

oh this page is great! a bunch of music enthusiasts and professionals got together to make a list of 600 albums from latam from 1920 to 2021, of all possible genres, that had a great influence and were hits. so cool to listen to new staff

[londonlingo]

(Uruguayan) Spanish vocab

Here’s a list of vocab that I picked up reading “Antologia de poetas jovens uruguyaos” by Luis Marcelo Pérez that I thought worth sharing:

Una cuentagotas -a dropper (the piece of scientific equipment)

Espejos-esperpentos(*) -monstrous mirrors

Departamentos -departments but also the regions of Uruguay

Peldaño - a step/stair/rung (of a ladder)

Enmudecer (enmudecido) -to silence/fall silent 

Pender (pende) -to hang

Un acertijo -a riddle

Un marcapaso -a pacemaker

Una celda -a cell

(*) this one I had more difficult translating so feel free to offer suggestions 

[fipindustries]

I cannot stand the parodies of modern major general, they're overdone and simply not as good as the original. They've done them about everything, whatever topic, big or small.

And when i notice one of them my eyes will always start to roll.

The diction's always slurry when they rush the complicated words, and adding many fricatives will turn it so cacophonous. The slanted rhymes are silly and they keep just making more and more, please someone stop the parodies of modern major general.

The scanning of the lyrics in the meter is unbearable, they emphazise the syllables in ways that are untenable, in short in matters musical, prosodic and ephemeral, i cannot stand the parodies of modern major general!

[sciogli-lingua]

Φέτος θα μάθω πραγματικά Ελληνικά. Με τους μήνες αρχίζω να καταλάβω ολοένα και περισσότερο, αλλά πρέπει να κάνω εξάσκηση στην ομιλία και στο γραψιμό (δεν ξέρω αν αυτός είναι ο σοστός τρόπος να το πω). Μπορεί να με δείτε να γράφω εδώ πιο συχνά :)

[mapsontheweb]

People’s reaction when you start speaking their language: A non-serious map.

This map displays people’s reactions to foreigners speaking their language in different countries.

by languages.eu

[incognitopolls]

How many languages can you speak (well enough to have a basic conversation)?

1, just my native language

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10+

Other/show results

Voting ended onApr 13, 2024

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[sciogli-lingua]

Giorgio Gaber || La ballata del Cerutti (The Ballad of Cerutti) || Italian lyrics + English translation

A parody of the famous Northamerican ballads, this very Milanese hit from the Sixties details the ordinary (mis)adventures of everyman Gino Cerutti -- or, as the narrator quite bureaucratically states, "Cerutti Gino" -- a twenty-year-old from Milan and something of a minor celebrity at the neighborhood bar, where he spends most of his days loafing about. That is, until he tries to nick somebody's scooter -- and immediately gets busted by the cops in the process.

Io ho sentito molte ballate Me, I've heard a lot of ballads Quella di Tom Dooley, quella di Davy Crockett The ballad of Tom Dooley, the ballad of Davy Crockett E sarebbe piaciuto anche a me scriverne una così And I would've liked to write one of those myself Invece… invece niente, ho fatto una ballata Instead… instead, no dice, I wrote a ballad Per uno che sta a Milano, al Giambellino¹ For this guy in Milan, he lives in Giambellino Il Cerutti, Cerutti Gino A fellow called Cerutti, Cerutti Gino

Il suo nome era Cerutti Gino His name was Cerutti Gino Ma lo chiamavan Drago But he was known as Dragon Gli amici al bar del Giambellino His friends down at the bar in Giambellino Dicevan che era un mago (era un mago) Would say he was a wizard (was a wizard)

Vent'anni, biondo, mai una lira Twenty years old, blond hair, not a dime on him, Per non passare guai To avoid getting in trouble Fiutava intorno che aria tira He'd sniff around, see which way the wind blew E non sgobbava mai And never worked a second

Il suo nome era Cerutti Gino His name was Cerutti Gino Ma lo chiamavan Drago But he was known as Dragon Gli amici al bar del Giambellino His friends down at the bar in Giambellino Dicevan che era un mago (era un mago) Would say he was a wizard (was a wizard)

Una sera, in una strada scura One night, in a dark street Occhio, c'è una lambretta² Look, there's a Lambretta scooter Fingendo di non aver paura Pretending not to be afraid Il Cerutti monta in fretta Cerutti quickly hops on

Ma che rogna nera quella sera Tough luck that night, though Qualcuno vede e chiama Someone sees and calls Veloce arriva la pantera³ The patrol car comes quick E lo beve⁴ la madama⁵ He gets busted by the cops

Il suo nome era Cerutti Gino His name was Cerutti Gino Ma lo chiamavan Drago But he was known as Dragon Gli amici al bar del Giambellino His friends down at the bar in Giambellino Dicevan che era un mago (era un mago) Would say he was a wizard (was a wizard)

Ora è triste e un poco manomesso He's sad now, and a little damaged Si trova al terzo raggio⁶ Staying on the third row È lì che attende il suo processo He's there, waiting for his trial Forse vien fuori a Maggio He might get out in May

S'è beccato un bel tre mesi il Gino Got himself a good three months, ol' Gino Ma il giudice è stato buono But the judge was kind Gli ha fatto un lungo fervorino He lectured him long and good È uscito col condono And let him out with a pardon

Il suo nome era Cerutti Gino His name was Cerutti Gino Ma lo chiamavan Drago But he was known as Dragon Gli amici al bar del Giambellino His friends down at the bar in Giambellino Dicevan che era un mago (era un mago) Would say he was a wizard (was a wizard)

È tornato al bar Cerutti Gino He's back at the bar, Cerutti Gino, E gli amici nel futuro And his friends, in the future, Quando parleran del Gino Whenever they talk about Gino Diranno che è un tipo duro They'll say that he's a tough guy

Notes

1) Giambellino is a neighborhood in Milan, born as a working-class area in the first half of the 20th century. 2) Lambretta was a famous 1950s Italian scooter. 3) Literally "the panther" -- slang for police car. 4) "Bere" means "to drink", but when someone "drinks" somebody else, it means they bust them, catch them (and in this case arrest them); it's really mostly used when the police or some sort of authority is involved. 5) Literally "the madam" -- slang for "police"; not so common anymore (but it might be more used in the North). 6) A reference to San Vittore, a well-known prison in Milan, which is divided into rows.

[sciogli-lingua]

Fabrizio De André || Un chimico || Italian lyrics + English translation

Solo la morte m'ha portato in collina, Only death could take me up on the hill, Un corpo fra i tanti a dar fosforo all'aria A body among many giving phosphorus to the atmosphere Per bivacchi di fuochi che dicono fatui For bivouac fires known as will-o’-the-wisps, Che non lasciano cenere, non sciolgon la brina That don’t leave ashes and don’t melt the frost Solo la morte m'ha portato in collina Only death could take me up on the hill

Da chimico, un giorno, avevo il potere As a chemist, I once had the power Di sposar gli elementi e farli reagire To marry the elements and make them react Ma gli uomini mai mi riuscì di capire As for people, however, I was never able to understand Perché si combinassero attraverso l'amore Why they combined through love Affidando ad un gioco la gioia e il dolore Leaving joy and pain at the mercy of a game

Guardate il sorriso, guardate il colore Look at the smile, look at that blush Come giocan sul viso di chi cerca l'amore How they play on the face of those looking for love Ma lo stesso sorriso, lo stesso colore But the very same smile, the very same blush, Dove sono sul viso di chi ha avuto l'amore? Where are they on the face of those who’ve had their love? Dove sono sul viso di chi ha avuto l'amore? Where are they on the face of those who’ve had their love?

È strano andarsene senza soffrire, It’s strange to leave without suffering, Senza un volto di donna da dover ricordare Without a woman’s face you have to remember Ma è forse diverso il vostro morire But is your way of dying really all that different? Voi che uscite all'amore, che cedete all'aprile? You, who open yourself to love, who give in to springtime? Cosa c'è di diverso nel vostro morire? What’s so different about your way of dying?

Primavera non bussa, lei entra sicura Spring doesn’t knock, she confidently gets in Come il fumo lei penetra in ogni fessura Just like smoke, she finds her way into every crack Ha le labbra di carne, i capelli di grano Her lips are made of flesh, her hair is corn Che paura, che voglia che ti prenda per mano How you fear, how you wish she’d take you by the hand Che paura, che voglia che ti porti lontano How you fear, how you wish she’d take you far away

Ma guardate l'idrogeno tacere nel mare But see how hydrogen lies quietly in the sea Guardate l'ossigeno al suo fianco dormire See how oxygen sleeps next to it Soltanto una legge che io riesco a capire Only a law that I can understand Ha potuto sposarli senza farli scoppiare Could marry them without having them explode Soltanto la legge che io riesco a capire Only the law that I can understand

Fui chimico e, no, non mi volli sposare I was a chemist, and yes, I refused to get married Non sapevo con chi e chi avrei generato I didn’t know whom I’d marry, nor whom I’d father Son morto in un esperimento sbagliato I died in a failed experiment Proprio come gli idioti che muoion d'amore Just like those idiots who die of love E qualcuno dirà che c'è un modo migliore And someone might say there’s a better way 

[sciogli-lingua]

Lucio Dalla || La sera dei miracoli || Italian lyrics + English translation

È la sera dei miracoli, fai attenzione It’s an evening of miracles, watch out Qualcuno nei vicoli di Roma In the alleys of Rome, someone Con la bocca fa a pezzi una canzone Is tearing a song apart with their mouth È la sera dei cani che parlano tra di loro It’s an evening of dogs talking to each other Della luna che sta per cadere Of the moon that’s about to fall E la gente corre nelle piazze per andare a vedere And people rush to the squares to go and have a look

Questa sera così dolce che si potrebbe bere This evening so sweet that you might as well drink it Da passare in centomila in uno stadio To spend in a stadium filled with hundreds of thousands Una sera così strana e profonda che lo dice anche la radio An evening so strange and so deep that even the radio says so Anzi, la manda in onda Or rather broadcasts it Tanto nera da sporcare le lenzuola So black that it soils the sheets È l'ora dei miracoli che mi confonde It’s an hour of miracles that confuses me Mi sembra di sentire il rumore di una nave sulle onde I think I can hear the sound of a ship over the waves

Si muove la città The city is stirring Con le piazze e i giardini e la gente nei bar With its squares and its gardens, and the people in the bars Galleggia e se ne va It floats and leaves Anche senza corrente camminerà Even without current, it’ll still sail on Ma questa sera vola But this evening is flying Le sue vele sulle case sono mille lenzuola Its sails on the houses are a thousand sheets

Ci sono anche i delinquenti There are also criminals Non bisogna avere paura ma stare un poco attenti No need to fear, just be a little careful A due a due gli innamorati Lovers, two by two, Sciolgono le vele come i pirati Set sail like pirates do E in mezzo a questo mare And in the middle of this sea Cercherò di scoprire quale stella sei I’ll try and find out which star you are Perché mi perderei Because I’d get lost Se dovessi capire che stanotte non ci sei Should I ever work out that tonight you aren’t here

È la notte dei miracoli, fai attenzione It’s a night of miracles, watch out Qualcuno nei vicoli di Roma In the alleys of Rome, someone Ha scritto una canzone Has written a song Lontano una luce diventa sempre più grande Far away, a light grows bigger and bigger Nella notte che sta per finire In the night that is about to end È la nave che fa ritorno It’s the ship on its way back Per portarci a dormire To take us to sleep

[kosmogrl]

your life is not meaningless, you just haven't seen the sea in a while

[eisbecherovka]

Wie genderst du am liebsten?

Gar nicht (Kollegen)

Mit Sternchen (Kolleg*innen)

Mit Doppelpunkt (Kolleg:innen)

Mit Binnen-I (KollegInnen)

Mit Schrägstrich (Kolleg/innen)

Beide Formen ausschreiben (Kollegen und Kolleginnen, auch umgekehrt)

Mit Gendergap (Kolleg_innen)

Du hast doch x vergessen! (Tags)

Voting ended onMar 13, 2024

[sciogli-lingua]

Alternative uses of “ma” in Italian

You’ve been (correctly) taught that ma in Italian roughly means but – an adversative conjunction, expressing contrast or opposition between to statements. However, you’ve also been puzzled by expressions like “Ma tu pensa!” or “Ma che bello!” – what exactly is the “ma” doing there?

Sometimes, when at the beginning of a sentence, ma really serves as a subject-changer, or as an intensifier for exclamations, both affirmative and negative in nature:

Ma che dici? – What are you saying? (subtext: I can’t believe that you would say that! The “ma” intensifies.)

Ma smettila! – Oh, stop it! (subtext: It’s obvious that you have to stop it, do I really have to tell you myself?)

Ma (tu) pensa! / Ma pensa te!* – Imagine that! Go figure! (subtext: who would have thought that? “Pensa te” isn’t entirely grammatical, but it’s super used in colloquial speech.)

Ma (tu) guarda! / Ma guarda te!* – Look at that! (subtext: who would have seen that coming?)

Ma is also often found before the che + adjective (+ noun) construct (as in “che bello!”, meaning “How wonderful!”, or “che bella giornata”, meaning “what a wonderful day!”). Once again, it acts as an intensifier:

Ma che storia strana! – Such an odd story!

Ma che bel castello! – What a beautiful castle! (the first line to a famous Italian nursery rhyme)

Also useful to remember – ma can have an ironic/disbelieving shade to it. A lot depends on context, so you’ll have to train your ear to that:

Ma tu ci credi? – Do you believe that? (subtext: Please, don’t tell me that you believe that.)

Ma brav*! – Well done! (often implies that no, you’ve actually not done well)

Ma bene! – Oh, good! (often implies that things are, in fact, not good)

Ma figurati! – No worries! / Yeah, sure! 

The last example is the trickiest one. ”Figurarsi” literally means “to imagine”. “Figurati!” – ”(You) imagine!” – is a common answer to “Thank you!”, roughly expressing this sentiment: imagine thinking you have to thank me, after I did so little for you! No need for that. Now, add a “ma” to that and it can either 1) intensify that sentiment, or 2) in other contexts, express utter disbelief at what the other person just said. A fitting example:

A: Luca dice che tra poco arriva. B: Ma figurati! Non sarà ancora uscito di casa. – A: Luca says he’ll be here soon. B: Yeah, right! I bet he’s still at home.

Another interesting expression with ma whose meaning can change quite a bit depending on context is “ma va’ ” (“va’ “ is the 2nd person singual imperative form of “andare”, lit. “to go”).

Ma va’? – Really?! / I can’t believe it!

Ma va’? – You don’t say! (the same, but used ironically when someone tells you something obvious.)

Ma va’! – Come on! / Oh, get out of here! (conveys disbelief or annoyance. Possibly a shortened version of “va’ a quel paese” – meaning “get lost”, “piss off”.)

Ma dai is used in similar fashion.

Ma dai? / Ma dai! – Really! (subtext: I’m surprised at what you told me. Whether the surprised is a nice or an unwanted one depends on context. Can also be used ironically, once again roughly meaning “You don’t say!”)

Ma dai! – Come on! (subtext: I’m generally disagreeing with what you told me)

[sciogli-lingua]

Italian expressions with “mai”

mai e poi mai – never ever, never in a million years (lit. “never and then never”)

Mai e poi mai avrei pensato che potessero fare una cosa del genere. – I never thought they could do such a thing.

mai più – never again

Ho avuto così tanta paura sulle montagne russe che ho giurato di non salirci mai più. – The rollercoaster ride scared me so much that I swore I’d never set foot on it again.

mai come ora – now more than ever

Mai come ora dobbiamo prestare attenzione a queste cose. – We must pay attention to these things, now more than ever.

mai quanto me – lit. “not as much as I am/do” (meaning that, whatever it is that the other person told you, you know it as well if not better than they do)

A: Temo di essere troppo permaloso. – I’m afraid I’m too touchy. B: Tranquillo, mai quanto me. – Don’t worry, I’m definitely worse.

come mai…? – how come…?

A: Come mai oggi non sei venuta a scuola? – How come you didn’t come to school today? B: Non mi sentivo tanto bene. – I wasn’t feeling too good.

perché mai…? – why on earth…?

A: Pensavo che ci saresti rimasto male se te l’avessi detto. – I thought you would have been upset if I had told you. B: E perché mai? Fai bene a dirmi le cose come stanno. – And why on earth would you think that? It’s good to tell me things the way they are.

(ma) quando mai? – lit. “when has that ever happened?” (implying that the answer is “never”, and that you’re baffled the person would even suggest it)

A: Dove hai messo la mia macchina fotografica? L’ultimo a usarla sei stato tu! – Where did you put my camera? You were the last one to use it! B: Ma quando mai! Non l’ho proprio toccata. – No I wasn’t! I haven’t even touched it.

(non) sia mai [che…]! – heaven forbid [that…]! (often ironic)

Non sia mai che scriva un post senza un milione di esempi! – Heaven forbid I write a post without adding a million examples!

nel giorno / nel mese / nell’anno del mai – on the day / in the month / in the year of “never”

Sì, come no: ci vedremo nell’anno del poi, nel mese del mai. – Yeah, sure: we’ll see each other in the year of “later”, in the month of “never”.

mai dire mai – never say never

Mai dire mai: la vita può sempre sorprenderti! – Never say never: life can always surprise you!

mai vist* (visto, vista, visti…) – lit. “never seen him/her/it/them”, meaning I have no idea what/who that is

A: Sai di chi è quel gatto? – You know whose cat is that? B: No, mai visto. – Nope, never seen it before.

ora o mai più – now or never

Siete pronti? Ora o mai più. – Are you ready? It’s now or never.

hai visto mai? – you never know (lit. “have you ever seen?”)

Porto sempre una penna in più in ufficio; hai visto mai che a qualcuno servisse? – I always bring an extra pen to the office; you never know, someone might need it.

mai una gioia – lit. “never a joy” (meaning that things never go the way you want them to go; on-line slang-y and colloquial)

You can use it as an ironic comment to the everyday misfortunes of yourself and others.

se mai – if ever

Se mai dovessi passare di qui, fammi uno squillo. – If you ever happen to be around here, ring me.

[sciogli-lingua]

Lucio Dalla || Telefonami tra vent'anni (Call me in twenty years || Italian lyrics + English translation

Telefona tra vent'anni Call in twenty years Io adesso non so cosa dirti I don't know what to tell you right now Ah, non so risponderti Ah, I can't give you an answer E non ho voglia di capirti And I don't feel like understanding you

Invece pensami, tra vent'anni pensami Instead think of me, in twenty years think of me Io con la barba più bianca With a whiter beard E una valigia in mano And holding a suitcase Con la bici da corsa With a racing bike E gli occhiali da sole And sunglasses Fermo in un qualsiasi posto del mondo Stopping anywhere in the world Chissà dove Who knows where Tra miliardi, miliardi di persone Among billions and billions of people A bocca aperta senza parole Mouth agape, speechless Nel vedere una mongolfiera As I see a hot-air balloon Che si alza piano piano Slowly rising up E cancella dalla memoria And erasing from my memory Tutto quanto il passato The past as a whole Anche le linee della mano Even my palm lines Mentre dall'alto un suono While, from above, a sound Come un suono prolungato Like a prolonged sound Di un pensiero che è appena nato Of a newly born thought Si avvicina e scende giù Is getting closer and coming down

Ah, io sarei lo stronzo Ah, so I'm supposed to be the asshole Quello che guarda troppo la televisione The one who watches too much television Beh, qualche volta lo sono stato Well, I've been that a couple times L'importante è avere in mano la situazione Having a hold on the situation is what counts Non ti preoccupare Don't you worry Di tempo per cambiare ce n'è There's plenty of time to change

Così ripensami, tra vent'anni ripensami So think of me again, in twenty years think of me again Vestito da torero In a bullfighter costume Con una torta in mano Holding a cake L'orecchio puntato verso il cielo An ear towards the sky Verso quel suono lontano, lontano Towards that faraway, faraway sound Ma ecco che si avvicina And suddenly it comes closer Con un salto siamo nel Duemila With a jump we're in 2000 Alle porte dell'universo At the gates of the universe L'importante è non arrivarci in fila What counts is not getting there in a line Ma tutti quanti in modo diverso But each one in a different way Ognuno con i suoi mezzi Each with one's own means Magari arrivando a pezzi Maybe broken and exhausted Su una vecchia bicicletta da corsa On an old racing bicycle Con gli occhiali da sole With sunglasses E il cuore nella borsa And one's heart inside the bag

Impara il numero a memoria Learn the number by heart Corri, scrivilo sulla pelle Quick, write it on your skin E se telefoni tra vent'anni And if you call in twenty years Butta i numeri fra le stelle Throw the numbers among the stars

Dalle porte dell'universo From the gates of the universe Un telefono suona ogni sera A phone rings every night Sotto un cielo di tutte le stelle Under a sky made of all the stars Di un'inquietante primavera Of a disquieting spring