Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Animal-Related Idioms
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 21. In this lesson, you'll learn animal-related idioms.
John: These are just some of the many idiomatic expressions about animals.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are:
Ofelia: quattro gatti
Ofelia: da cani
Ofelia: andare in bestia
Ofelia: in bocca al lupo
John: Ofelia, what's our first expression?
Ofelia: quattro gatti
John: literally meaning "four cats." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "just a handful of people."
Ofelia: [SLOW] quattro gatti [NORMAL] quattro gatti
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Ofelia: quattro gatti
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when you want to describe a situation where only a few people were present.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Oggi al lavoro eravamo in quattro gatti. [SLOW] Oggi al lavoro eravamo in quattro gatti.
John: "Today, there were only a few of us at work."
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Oggi al lavoro eravamo in quattro gatti.
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Ofelia: da cani
John: literally meaning "like dogs." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "very bad, terribly."
Ofelia: [SLOW] da cani [NORMAL] da cani
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Ofelia: da cani
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when you want to describe an unpleasant or terrible situation.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Ofelia: [NORMAL] A: Come ti senti oggi? B: Da cani. Mi fa malissimo la testa. [SLOW] A: Come ti senti oggi? B: Da cani. Mi fa malissimo la testa.
John: "A: How are you feeling today? B: Terrible. My head hurts so much."
Ofelia: [NORMAL] A: Come ti senti oggi? B: Da cani. Mi fa malissimo la testa.
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Ofelia: andare in bestia
John: literally meaning "to go into a beast." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "to fly into a rage."
Ofelia: [SLOW] andare in bestia [NORMAL] andare in bestia
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Ofelia: andare in bestia
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when you want to describe someone who has lost their temper, becoming like an enraged wild animal.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Quando l'ha scoperto è andato in bestia. [SLOW] Quando l'ha scoperto è andato in bestia.
John: "When he found out, he flew into a rage."
Ofelia: [NORMAL] Quando l'ha scoperto è andato in bestia.
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Ofelia: in bocca al lupo
John: literally meaning "into the mouth of the wolf." But when it's used as a slang expression, it means "good luck."
Ofelia: [SLOW] in bocca al lupo [NORMAL] in bocca al lupo
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Ofelia: in bocca al lupo
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: Use this slang expression when you want to wish someone good luck in a friendly way.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Ofelia: [NORMAL] In bocca al lupo per l'esame! [SLOW] In bocca al lupo per l'esame!
John: "Good luck on your exam!"
Ofelia: [NORMAL] In bocca al lupo per l'esame!
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: You want to describe a horrible day.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Ofelia: da cani
John: "very bad, terribly"
John: There was hardly anyone at the party.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Ofelia: quattro gatti
John: "just a handful of people"
John: A friend is going to a job interview. He hopes he can get the job. You say...
[pause - 5 sec.]
Ofelia: in bocca al lupo
John: "good luck"
John: Two people are having a heated argument..
[pause - 5 sec.]
Ofelia: andare in bestia
John: "to fly into a rage"

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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