Index / Language / Records / Italian / Regional dialects
The accent of Italian business and media. The s between vowels buzzes, words do not double, and conversations run on tipo, cioè and figurati.
Casa and cosa use a z sound. In the south the same s is sharp.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| kaza | casa | house |
| koza | cosa | thing |
| perzona | persona | person |
NoteStart here. It is the headline northern feature.
Southern and standard Italian double the first consonant after a or che. Milan does not.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| a kaza | a casa (a ccasa) | at home |
| che fai? | che fai? (che ffai) | what are you doing? |
Where the standard has a closed e, Milan often opens it, and the reverse.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| perchè | perché | why, because |
| bène | bene | well |
Milanese put la and il before people's names, which sounds odd further south.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| la Giulia | Giulia | Giulia |
| il Marco | Marco | Marco |
| Hai sentito la Fra? | Hai sentito Francesca? | have you heard from Francesca? |
Milan talks fast and pads with the same few words.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| tipo | per esempio | like |
| cioè | cioè | I mean |
| figurati | figurati | don't mention it / no way |
| taac | ecco fatto | done, just like that |
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| figo | bello | coolcasual |
| zio | amico | dude (bella zio)casual |
| uè | ehi | heycasual |
| la sciura | la signora | posh older ladycasual |
| il bauscia | lo sbruffone | show-off (also: Inter fans)casual |
| pirla | stupido | idiotinsult |
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| lo sbatti | la fatica | hassle, effort (che sbatti)casual |
| fare una call | fare una telefonata | have a video callcasual |
| l'apericena | l'aperitivo cenato | aperitivo big enough to be dinnerneutral |
| i Navigli | i Navigli | the canal districtneutral |
| la michetta | il panino | the Milanese bread rollneutral |
From around 6, a drink comes with food.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| Uno spritz Campari | Uno spritz Campari | a Campari spritz |
| C'è il buffet? | C'è il buffet? | is there a buffet? |
| Andiamo sui Navigli? | Andiamo sui Navigli? | shall we go to the canals? |
Milan borrows English freely.
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ti mando una mail | Ti mando una email | I'll send you an email |
| Facciamo una call alle 3? | Facciamo una chiamata alle 3? | call at 3? |
| Sono in riunione, ti richiamo | Sono in riunione, ti richiamo | I'm in a meeting, I'll call you back |
| How it's said | How it's written | English |
|---|---|---|
| Prendo la metro rossa | Prendo la metro rossa | I'm taking the red line |
| il tram | il tram | the tram |
| Che sbatti, c'è sciopero | Che fatica, c'è sciopero | what a pain, there's a strike |