How to Reprimand Your Child in Italian–Just for the Fun of it!
I was looking through an excellent resource guide for introducing Italian to kids. The book, by Therese Slevin Pirz, is called Kids Stuff Italian (Chou-Chou Press, 1998.) It contains a vast listing of vocabulary and phrases arranged by topics such as Mealtime, Playing, At the Beach, Time, Toys, Endearments, Helping at Home, Animals . . . honestly, the list goes on and on. Like I said, it’s an outstanding resource of phrases.
But I had to laugh when I saw some of the expressions that were along the lines of reprimands. Got me thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great to correct your child in a foreign language?” It might save the child some embarrassment when out in public. On second thought, maybe not. But, hey, reprimanding in a language as passionate and expressive as Italian might just be a lot of fun for me.
Here are some of the expressions I could use around my house. Approximate pronunciations are provided in parentheses. Say them with feeling!
Non dare calci! (Nohn Dah-reh Kahl-chee!) – No kicking!
Siedi diritto! (SYEH-de dee-REET-toh) – Sit up straight!
Rallenta! (Rahl-LEHN-tah) – Slow down!
Non cosi forte! (Nohn koh-ZEE FOHR-teh) – Not so loud!
Non toccare! (Nohn tohk-KAH-reh) – Don’t touch!
Non mangiare il sapone! (Nohn mahn-JYAH-reh eel sah-POH-neh.) – Don’t eat the soap!
Fermati! (Fehr-MAH-tee) – Stop!
Silenzio! (See-LEHN-tsee-oh) – Quiet!
Bada come parli! (BAH-dah KOH-meh PAHR-lee) – Watch your language!
Immediateamente! (eem-meh-dee-ah-tah-MEHN-teh) – Immediately!
Non domandarmelo di nuovo! (Nohn doh-mahn-DAHR-meh-loh dee) – Don’t ask me again!
Non darmi problemi! (Nohn DAHR-mee proh-BLEHM-ee) – Don’t give me trouble!
L’hai fatto tu? (Lai FAHT-toh too) – Was it you who did it?
Non giocare con i fiammiferi (Nohn jyoh-KAH-reh kohn ee fee-ahm-MEE-feh-ree) – Don’t play with matches!
Perche lo dico io. (pehr-KEH loh DEE-koh EE-oh) – Because I say so.
And because this list is reminding me of the No David! books by David Shannon, and because I’m really not a mean mommy, let’s end with this one:
Ti amo! (Tee AH-moh) – I love you.
Share your favorite reprimand or reminder in another language. I think my kids are tired of me saying the same things over and over again in English!
Photo Credit: by emospada at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/734116
See something you like? Click on the image for a closer look. Purchases help support this free site.
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment