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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Common Expressions That Mean "A Lot"
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to ItalianPod101.com. I'm John.
Ofelia: And I'm Ofelia!
John: This is Must-Know Italian Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 13. In this lesson, you'll learn common expressions that mean "a lot."
John: These will come in handy if you want to exaggerate and talk in a more dramatic way.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are:
Ofelia: una cifra
Ofelia: da morire
Ofelia: un casino
Ofelia: di brutto
John: Ofelia, what's our first expression?
Ofelia: una cifra
John: literally meaning "a figure." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "a lot, really."
Ofelia: [SLOW] una cifra [NORMAL] una cifra
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Ofelia: una cifra
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when you want to exaggerate something, when you mean "a lot."
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Grazie, mi sono divertito una cifra. [SLOW] Grazie, mi sono divertito una cifra.
John: "Thanks, I had lots of fun."
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Grazie, mi sono divertito una cifra.
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Ofelia: da morire
John: literally meaning "to death." And when it's used as a slang expression, it also means "to death, a lot."
Ofelia: [SLOW] da morire [NORMAL] da morire
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Ofelia: da morire
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when you want to put a lot of emphasis on what you said. It can have both a negative and positive meaning.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Quel ragazzo mi piace da morire. [SLOW] Quel ragazzo mi piace da morire.
John: "I like that boy so much."
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Quel ragazzo mi piace da morire.
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Ofelia: un casino
John: literally meaning "a mess." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "a lot, really."
Ofelia: [SLOW] un casino [NORMAL] un casino
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Ofelia: un casino
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when you want to refer to a large number, or when you mean “to a great degree.”
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Il concerto mi è piaciuto un casino. [SLOW] Il concerto mi è piaciuto un casino.
John: "I really liked the concert."
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Il concerto mi è piaciuto un casino.
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Ofelia: di brutto
John: literally meaning "as ugly." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "badly, like crazy, a lot."
Ofelia: [SLOW] di brutto [NORMAL] di brutto
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Ofelia: di brutto
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when you mean "to a great degree." It can be both in a positive and in a negative sense.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Abbiamo perso di brutto, 5 a 0. [SLOW] Abbiamo perso di brutto, 5 a 0.
John: "We lost badly, 5 to 0."
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Abbiamo perso di brutto, 5 a 0.
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John: She just loves him.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Ofelia: da morire
John: "to death, a lot"
John: Your new shoes cost a lot.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Ofelia: una cifra
John: "a lot, really"
John: If his parents found out, they will get incredibly angry.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Ofelia: di brutto
John: "badly, like crazy, a lot"
John: They had so much fun at the party.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Ofelia: un casino
John: "a lot, really"

Outro

John: There you have it; you have mastered four Italian Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at ItalianPod101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time!
Ofelia: A presto.

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