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Just like in our last round of speed dates where we looked at “appena,” “addirittura,” “comunque” and “quindi,” we’re going to take some time to learn all about “tale,” “eccome,” and “semmai.”
Read: Italian Word Speed Dates: Appena, Addirittura, Comunque, and Quindi
{I forget what the word “tale” means every single day. I’m hoping after writing this article I will finally remember it and it will stick in your brain, too.}
Round #1: Tale
Tale has LOTS of meanings in the dictionary.
— Similar
— Alike
— Certain
— Such
— That person
— Guy
It has no gender, but there are two forms for the singular and one for the plural.
— Singular – tal, tale
— Plural – tali
“Tal” is pretty rare, but in the event that you see it, you’ll know what it means.
It’s typically more formal.
Without examples, these might mean nothing to you, so here are some to clarify when one is used over the other.
Esempi
Similar/Alike
Tale e quale – the same as yours, identical
— Tale e quale a questo – like that/identical to this one
Such
— io invece ho provato un tale entusiasmo e l’organizzazione è stata talmente facile che, al ritorno dal viaggio di nozze, ho pensato seriamente di tentare la strada della wedding planner. – Instead I experienced such enthusiasm and an ease in organization that when I returned from my honeymoon, I seriously though of trying to be a wedding planner.
— Le strade sono totalmente inadeguate a sopportare un tale volume di veicoli. – The streets are totally inadequate for supporting such an amount of vehicles.
This – This one is rather touchy because you could also use questo/questa/queste/questi to mean this – depending on what noun it’s referring to. So when do you use questo and when do you use “tale” to say this? BOH.
— Tali errori sono inaccettabili. [source] – These errors are unacceptable.
That person/guy
— Un tale che conosco – someone I know
It’s always used to talk about a male.
Common phrases
— A tale scopo – for this purpose
— In tal modo – In this way
— In tale occasione – On this/such an occasion
— Tale padre, tale figlio – Like father, like son. {Typically in the negative sense with bad behaviors}
— Per tale ragione – For this reason
Round #2: Eccome
Eccome is pretty simple compared to “tale.”
It basically means “Absolutely or certainly.”
Other Italian words that are similar would be “volentieri” or “altroché.”
Esempi
– Ho un biglietto in più per il concerto dei Coldplay. Ti va di venire?
– Eccome!
– Ti piacciono i cannoli?
– Eccome!
“I cani abbaiano (eccome), ma morderanno?” – Dogs bark (certainly), but will they bite? [Source]
Common expressions
— Mi sentirai eccome, anzi ti dirò di più. – Yes, I’ll be/keep in touch (count on it), even better I’ll tell you more (about some topic).
— C’entra eccome. – It has a lot/everything to do with it.
Round #3: Semmai
The dictionary says that “semmai” means
— If anything
— If at all
— In the event that
— If ever
Esempi
— Questa è una storia lunga, semmai te la racconterò in seguito. – This is a long story, and if at all (perhaps), I’ll tell it you later on. [source]
In this context, the word “semmai” shows improbability of this person ever telling the other person the long story.
— Semmai è vero il contrario. – If anything/rather, the contrary is true. [source]
Mini-challenge: Try creating one sentence using each of the words above. Write them down on paper or type them to me in the comments.
Questions/comments? Let me know below!
