Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts.
There is something so satisfying about learning swear words in another language. That’s why so many new language learners rush to ask native speakers how to say things like, “f*ck you,” “sh*t,” and “you’re an idiot.”
After Rachel wrote this article with 8 swear words to add sass to your Italian vocabulary, we thought it would only be fair to follow up with another list of insults.
They range from affectionately rude (like to tease your friends) all the way to when you’re really angry, or when you’re incazzato nero (totally pissed off).
Some basic vocab for you:
— Gli insulti – Insults
— Insultare – To insult
Affectionately rude
— Sei pazzo(a)? – Are you crazy?
— Sei diventato pazzo(a)? – Have you gone crazy?
— Sei impazzito(a)? – Have you gone insane?
— Ci sei cascato come una pirla! – You fell for it like a stupid person!
If there’s an “a” in parentheses, it means that this adjective can be masculine or feminine. Remember that adjectives also change in number in Italian. If you’re unfamiliar with this grammar concept, click here for a refresher.
Actually Rude
— Sei una sfigata. – You’re a loser.
— Vai a quel paese. – Go to hell.
— Lui è un coglione. – He’s a jerk.
— Sei un cretino. – You’re a fool.
— Sei uno stronzo. – You’re an asshole.
— Sei stupido(a). – You’re stupid.
— Bastardo(a). – Bastard.
— Pezzo di merda. – Piece of shit.
— Sei un deficiente. – You’re a moron.
— Chissenefrega? – Who the hell cares?
— Non hai capito una sega! – You don’t understand shit!
— Ti sei bevuto / fumato il cervello. – You’re crazy.
— Lui è proprio un bischero. – He’s an idiot.
Rachel mentioned the one above in a list of phrases to sound more Tuscan.
— Sei scemo(a)! – You’re stupid!
— Puttana! – Bitch!
— Porca troia! – Whore!
— Sei un idiota. – You’re an idiot.
— Sei un rompicoglioni. – You’re a pain in the ass / ball breaker.
Ruder
— Vai a cacare – Fuck off !!
— Zoccola. – Whore.
— Troia. – Whore.
— Figlio di puttana. – Motherf*cker.
— Sei una testa di cazzo! – You’re a dickhead.
Rudest
— Vaffanculo. – F*ck you.
— Li mortacci tua! – Your dead bastard ancestors.
The last one is a Roman phrase that’s extra extra insulting but it’s used all over Italy.
Have questions? Or want to know how say a different insult? Leave a comment below. 🙂
Listen now
Special thanks to The Creative Impostor Studios for producing this show.
Like the podcast? Leave a review in Apple Podcasts!
If you like the podcast, I would appreciate it a TON if you left a review. You can hit a star rating in your Podcasts app on your iPhone or go to the iTunes store and click Leave a Review on the show page.
Grazie mille! Ma penso che abbia fatto un errore quando hai scritto “vai a cacare;” intendeva scrivere “vai a cagare” ?:)
Ciao, grazie per il commento. Non e’ un errore. Cacare e’ il verbo per fare pupù! A volte e’ scritto anche “cagare” ma cacare e 100% corretto! 🙂
Devo concordare con Natalie… almeno per quanto riguarda l’italiano settentrionale.
Come dice la Treccani:
cacare (settentr. cagare) [lat. cacare] (io caco, tu cachi, ecc.), volg. – ■ v. intr. (aus. avere) [espellere le feci] ≈ andare di corpo, Ⓣ (fisiol.) defecare, Ⓣ (fisiol.) evacuare, (fam.) fare la cacca, (eufem.) liberarsi, (fam.) scaricarsi, [nel linguaggio infantile] (fam.) fare (la) popò
Having lived half of my life in Italy, I have never heard “Porca troia!” used as an insult,
more like a strong exclamation meant for no one in particular. A bit like “porca vacca”…
However, “porca” and “troia” separately… that is another matter…
We use porca troia a lot here in Tuscany! 🙂
My parents always say “boia cane” when they are frustrated. I always translated this in english to “howling dog” but it actually means “Dog executioner”. Any idea where this phrase came from or why this term was used?
Ciao, Boia is a Tuscan expression meaning “wow” or even sometimes, “hell or crap!” The literal meaning comes from executioner but that’s not what it means, now it’s an expression. 🙂
Ciao Cher..
I am a beginner – intermediate Italian mature student …. bored of normal classroom lessons … so I thought about looking for a podcast !!!! I found this one, still laughing my arse off… it’s so so informative Bravo !! And not boring ..
You have a new subscriber
Many thanks
Robert
Grazie!!
I’ve got one that I picked up from the book, Wicked Italian: Il sole Siciliano le ha cotto il cervello! (The Sicilian sun has cooked your brain.) Always loved it, never have used it!
grazie mille