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How to Say “What does that have to do with anything?” in Italian

July 28, 2017 By Cher 4 Comments

How to Say “What does that have to do with anything?” in Italian

Have you ever heard the verb “entrarci”? It’s a pronominal verb (basically a verb + pronoun combo), and it means “to have to do with.”

Typically, you won’t hear it as the full form.

In the present tense (il presente indicativo), you’ll hear:

— C’entra (singular)

— C’entrano (plural)

Unfamiliar with singular and plural in Italian grammar? Click here.

I know that sounds abstract, so here are some examples to help it make sense.

Esempi

A: Voglio prendere il treno domani, ma potrebbe piovere. – I want to take the train tomorrow, but it might rain.

B: Ma scusa, che c’entra la pioggia?! – Um, sorry, but what does the rain have to do with it?

A: Ho sentito dire che il problema l’ha causato Emilio. – I heard that Emilio caused the problem.

B: Hai torto, non c’entra nulla Emilio. – You’re wrong, it doesn’t have anything to do with Emilio.

Other common phrases are:

— Che c’entra questo? – What does this have to do with anything?

— La fortuna non c’entra. – Luck has nothing to do with it.

— C’entra poco. – It has little do with it.

— C’entra molto. – It has a lot to do with it.

Have questions? Leave a comment below. 🙂

Filed Under: Beginner Italian, Expressions, Intermediate Italian, Italian, Vocabulary Tagged With: Beginner Italian, intermediate italian, italian grammar, Italian phrases

About Cher

Cher is the founder of The Iceberg Project and a passionate learner of the Italian, Mandarin and Spanish languages. In a little town called Vegas, you can find her searching the Internet for Doctor Who and Parks & Rec memes, drinking bubble tea, or talking about how much she loves grammar.

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Comments

  1. Alexander says

    July 29, 2017 at 12:38 pm

    Thanks Cher,
    As always, very good.
    Here is another way of saying it’s neither here nor there, using one of my favorite words, “cavolo”: “C’entra come i cavoli a merenda.”

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      October 6, 2017 at 1:20 am

      What a great example! We love it!

      Reply
      • Brooke says

        October 11, 2017 at 6:21 am

        ciao Rachel, puoi spiegare il significato di un esempio di Alexander?

        Reply
        • RachelRachel says

          October 25, 2017 at 12:39 am

          It’s an expression so it’s not literally translatable, but it says, “that makes sense like cabbage as a snack” so in essence, doesn’t make sense! Hope that helps!

          Reply

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