You’ll Never Be Able To Reach An Advanced Level Without 🤬 (And Here’s Why..)
Even if you don’t want to use them yourself, the Italian parolacce (curse words) are used constantly in the everyday spoken language.
Which means you MUST be able to recognize them if you want to understand conversational Italian!
So inside our brand new book Parolacce… e come evitarle!
We’re going to walk you through all of the most commonly used bad words and phrases here in Italy – teaching you their different meanings and giving you real-world examples…
…PLUS for each one we’re also going to teach you all the non-parolacce alternatives!
This way you can still express yourself like a native Italian speaker without ever sounding vulgar or offensive…
About us…
Hi! It’s us, Graziana and Rocco from LearnAmo.
With more than 250,000 subscribers, our YouTube channel has become a reference point for learning Italian online.
And now, after receiving thousands of comments and requests asking us to teach one of the most difficult topics for all Italian learners…
We have created a complete book to learn Italian SWEAR WORDS!
Dear Italian Learner 🇮🇹
Maybe you’ve noticed it already…
But Italians swear. A lot! 😅
Probably more than in any other European language!
In fact, many of the most commonly used parolacce…
(Like the “c” one we’re sure you’ve heard a few times by now…)
Are used by most Italians simply as intercalare – words that pad their sentences but don’t add any sort of real meaning to what they’re saying!
(Intercalare: Parola, esclamazione, frase che qualcuno ha l’abitudine, più o meno inconscia, di ripetere spesso nel discorso, senza necessità)
So if you want to go even deeper with your Italian…
✔️ Better understand the language how it’s spoken in everyday, informal situations.
✔️ Be able to express yourself using the same words and phrases a native Italian speaker would.
✔️ And even have an easier time understanding Italian media – like TV shows, YouTube videos, movies, podcasts, and music…
Then you MUST be able to recognize the most commonly used parolacce and all their different forms!
ATTENZIONE: That Doesn’t Mean You Have to Use Them!
And there are many situations where you flat out shouldn’t.
(More on this in a minute)
But like we said already…
At least being aware of these words and phrases is a key part of learning Italian.
It’ll make it easier for you to communicate with Italians in a natural and fluid way…
Not to mention it’ll also help you avoid situations where…
❌ You unknowingly use a phrase that doesn’t seem bad when translated… but in reality is vulgar and offensive (you’d be surprised how many students this happens to 😅)
❌ You use a word in the wrong way or in the wrong context – making it hard for others to understand you.
❌ You can’t follow what’s going on during a conversation – having to stop the other person mid-sentence to ask “cosa significa questa frase?”
Plus, if we’re being honest…
A well-timed parolaccia can be a great way to show off your Italian skills 😉
Because most learners simply don’t know many of the phrases we’re going to teach you!
Studied a Few Parolacce Already?
Here’s Why That Might Not Be Enough…
Now, maybe you’ve already done some searching online and learned a few common parolacce.
That’s a great start!
However, what we’ve found after teaching Italian to thousands of people from all over the world…
Is that even after getting familiar with a few of the more basic parolacce…
(Like c*zzo, m*rda, str*nzo/a, just to name a few…)
Most students still struggle with 3 fundamental things when it comes to le parolacce.
Leaving them unable to fully understand them and how they’re used.
This holds true for beginner level A1 students…
All the way up to more advanced B2 and C1 level students.
1️⃣ They’re still not completely sure how these words get used in everyday conversation.
2️⃣ They don’t understand how the meaning of a word changes depending on the phrase it’s used in.
3️⃣ They’re not aware that there are usually different levels of non-vulgar alternatives for any given bad word!
Here’s an example:
Test Yourself! Do You Know THIS Common Italian Phrase?
Just a heads up – we’re going to use a few parolacce here for the sake of teaching you new “vocabulary” 😉
You’re free to go and use them yourself…
But please remember that…
Now, one of the most common Italian swear words is coglione.
Which roughly translates to f*cking idiot.
“Sei un coglione!” is a VERY common phrase here in Italy 😅
Pretty straightforward, right?
Well here’s where it gets complicated:
Another common Italian phrase that uses this word is “rompere i coglioni”.
If you don’t know what it means already… what’s your best guess?
Well, literally translated into English…
It would mean something like “break the idiots”.
Which doesn’t make ANY sense!
And that’s because with dozens of phrases like this in Italian…
The literal translation and the real meaning behind it are 2 completely different things.
So let’s break it down:
Rompere i coglioni is a more vulgar way to say rompere le palle, or rompere le scatole.
And even though each phrase would mean something different when translated literally…
All 3 are the equivalent of saying:
➡️ To give someone a hard time
➡️ To get on someone’s nerves
Or even…
➡️ To break someone’s balls
So in this context, coglioni isn’t used as a curse word itself…
It’s simply being used to amplify how annoyed or angry the person saying it is!
Imagine This…
Say you’re explaining to an Italian friend of yours that you don’t like preservatives in your food…
But you make the mistake of using the word preservativi instead of conservanti.
Now your friend is poking fun at you…
Giving you a hard time for saying something so ridiculous!
Responding to them with “Smettila! Non mi rompere i coglioni!” would show that you’re a LOT more angry than if you said “Dai, non mi rompere le scatole”.
And this kind of phenomenon exists with DOZENS of other parolacce in Italian.
Where not only will any given word have many different meanings…
(Even “simple” curse words like cazzo have at least 6!)
➡️ But those meanings might change completely depending on the context.
➡️ Sometimes it almost doesn’t have a meaning at all based on the phrase it’s being used in.
➡️ And when it comes to alternatives – there are usually varying levels of vulgarness!
For example, rompere i coglioni is definitely vulgar.
Rompere le palle is less vulgar, but can still be harsh on the ears depending on the context…
And finally, rompere le scatole isn’t vulgar at all.
You can safely use this one without worrying about offending anyone 😃
A bit complicated, right?
No Worries! We’ve Got You Covered
Over the past few years we’ve received thousands of comments and messages from our students asking us to teach more about le parolacce.
And when you consider how often they’re used in dozens of different contexts:
From angry divers cursing each other off…
To informal conversations among friends…
And all sorts of Italian media – like TV shows, music, movies, and podcasts…
Being able to understand le parolacce and use them correctly is an important step in your Italian learning journey!
So today, after over a year of research and putting it all together…
We’re excited to finally introduce you to…
PAROLACCE
… e come evitarle!
Inside our brand new book, we’re going to walk you though…
➡️ All of the most commonly used parolacce in Italy.
➡️ The parolacce you’d only know after spending years living in Italy (these are the ones you won’t usually find online…)
➡️ Real-world examples of how each word is used in conversation between native Italian speakers.
➡️ How the meaning of these words can change drastically depending on the phrase they’re used in (plus examples!)
➡️ And all the safe-to-use, non-vulgar alternatives for every word and phrase!
Here’s A Closer Look At Everything We’re Going To Teach You Inside…
➡️ The 6 different meanings of the most common Italian parolaccia: Cazzo! (Page 9)
➡️ 9 of the most commonly used verbs, nouns and adjectives that all derive from the word cazzo (Pages 14-15)
➡️ 3 examples of the common insult stronzo/a being used in popular Italian media – including songs and movies (Pages 23-25)
➡️ The other vulgar Italian “c” word we use to describe a restaurant, city, or other physical location we don’t like (Pages 93-94)
➡️ One of the most popular (yet unknown to foreigners) Milanese slang words to call someone stupido, tonto, or imbecile (Page 82)
➡️ 17 different (and admittedly fun) colloquial phrases all using the word “culo” (Pages 40-41)
➡️ Cultural Curiosity: Why Italian actors chant “Merda Merda Merda!” before performing on stage (Page 48)
➡️ The perfect Italian curse word to use when you find yourself nei guai… (Page 61)
➡️ The slightly more vulgar – yet utilizzatissima – alternative to “fare schifo” (Page 72)
➡️ The slang expression Italians use to describe a guy or girl they think is very attractive (Pages 96-97)
…plus so much more!
This way you can…
✅ Use them correctly without making any… let’s say, uncomfortable mistakes.
✅ Have an easier time understanding everyday Italian conversation and all sorts of Italian media.
✅ And express yourself like a native speaker without using le parolacce…
…since you’ll know all the non-vulgar alternatives Italians use too!