Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Cinzia: Buongiorno a tutti and welcome to the eighth lesson of Impara l’Italiano con i Proverbi.
Marco: Yes, welcome to Learn Italian With Proverbs.
Cinzia: Ciao Marco.
Marco: Ciao mia cara Cinzia. Come va oggi?
Cinzia: Benissimo, grazie. E tu?
Marco: Bene - I'm not too bad but you look amazingly happy today. What happened?
Cinzia: I am actually yesterday I spoke to a friend of mine and she told me she’s getting married.
Marco: Really? Wow! What a good piece of news!
Cinzia: Yes.
Marco: What’s wrong? Aren't you happy for her?
Cinzia: Of course I am happy for her. The thing is that she wants me to be her bridesmaid.
Marco: I mean, really? Sul serio? You, a bridesmaid? I can't imagine you dressed up as a bridesmaid.
Cinzia: What? Why? Bridesmaids can wear sneakers, can they?
Marco: Well, yes of course. I wonder what your friend would say about that.
Cinzia: I am sure she'll be okay with it. But I have another problem, Marco.
Marco: And what's that?
Cinzia: She is getting married in India.
Marco: What?! India?! Sul serio? That's way too far!
Cinzia: I know, but she's always love India and we’ve both always dreamt of traveling to India. And now she is getting married there.
Marco: This is a big problem. Flight tickets are very expensive nowadays.
Cinzia: Well, she offered to pay for my flight out there.
Marco: Ah, so what's the problem? Qual è il problema? “Prendi due piccioni con una fava” - You can kill two birds with one stone. You get to go to your friend's wedding, you can be her bridesmaid and you also get to see India.
Cinzia: Oh, you are way too right Marco. It's true, I can finally go and visit India and be my friend's bridesmaid at the same time. I can take advantage of this event. And also, posso “cogliere la palla al balzo” – “I can cease the opportunity” and visit a country I’ve always loved since I was a child.
Marco: Ah, girls, girls…
Cinzia: But Marco, wait. We already have our proverbs then.
Marco: Yes, my dear. We do have our proverbs. And actually, both can be used in the same context. Don't you think?
Cinzia: Oh yes, of course. In fact, the first one, “prendere due piccioni con una fava” literally means “to catch two pigeons with one broad bean” and this related to pigeons hunting. Did you know that pigeons used to be captured by using broad beans?
Marco: Really? I had no idea. That's quite interesting. The meaning is you can get two pigeons but you only waste one piece of bait, right?
Cinzia: Right. It's about achieving two goals in a single attempt. This expression probably comes from a particular method but not really an orthodox one used to hunt pigeons. By using a thread and hanging a broad bean at its extremity, pigeons were literally caught like fish.
Marco: Oh wow! That's interesting. Pretty crude but very interesting. You just make me think about our second proverb.
Cinzia: Yeah, I know, tell us.
Marco: “Cogliere la palla al balzo”, which literally means “to catch the ball in a single bounce.” So, just as a good opportunity happens to you by chance, you have to cease it and see what it brings.
Cinzia: Yes, if I think of this proverb, I can see a bull rising in the air and someone catching it.
Marco: I really like this meaning.
Cinzia: So do I, Marco. And that's why I am ready to be the first bridesmaid in sneakers in India.
Marco: Oh my God! I think we’ve just lost her. She'll never be back.
Cinzia: Oh no, I will. Just for you, my dear and all my beloved listeners.
Marco: Okay, okay. So now let's take a look at today's vocabulary.
--
Cinzia: Vocabulary.
Marco: First word.
Cinzia: Prendere.
Marco: To get, to take.
Cinzia: Prendere. Prendere.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: Due.
Marco: Two.
Cinzia: Due. Due.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: Piccioni.
Marco: Pigeons.
Cinzia: Piccioni. Piccioni.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: Con.
Marco: With.
Cinzia: Con. Con.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: Una.
Marco: One.
Cinzia: Una. Una.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: Fava.
Marco: Broad bean.
Cinzia: Fava. Fava.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: Cogliere.
Marco: To pick, catch.
Cinzia: Cogliere. Cogliere.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: La.
Marco: The.
Cinzia: La. La.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: Palla.
Marco: Ball.
Cinzia: Palla. Palla.
Marco: Next word.
Cinzia: Al.
Marco: At the.
Cinzia: Al. Al.
Marco: And finally…
Cinzia: Balzo.
Marco: Bounce.
Cinzia: Balzo. Balzo.
--
Cinzia: So, that's all for today's lesson.
Marco: And really, thank you, Cinzia.
Cinzia: No, grazie a te Marco. E grazie a tutti. Ciao ciao.
Marco: Ciao.

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