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Italian word of the day: 'Accidenti'

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Italian word of the day: 'Accidenti'
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Wow, does this word come in handy.

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We predict there'll be many times in Italy when you'll be amazed. And because it's rude to stand there with your mouth agape, here's what you can say in such a situation: accidenti (pronunciation available here).

The word means literally 'accidents', but used as an exclamation it's roughly equivalent to 'wow'.

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Accidenti, che bella giornata!
Wow, what a beautiful day!

– Ho superato l'esame di guida al primo tentativo.
– Accidenti! Complimenti.

– I passed my driving test first time.
– Whoa! Well done.

We also predict there'll be times when you're less impressed and more ticked off. The good news is that you can use accidenti then too: the other meaning of this word is 'damn'.

Accidenti, ho sbagliato strada.
Damn it, I took the wrong turn.

Accidenti a lui!
Damn him!

You can even get creative and use accidenti in the middle of a sentence to emphasise whatever point you're making.

Often when you use it this way it's like saying 'a damn (thing)', so remember to make it singular: un accidente.

Non capisco un accidente.
I don't understand a damn thing.

Ma che accidenti vogliono?
What the hell do they want?

Non m'importa un accidente.
I don't give a damn.

Do you have a favourite Italian word or expression you'd like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

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