Another one of these posts in quick succession because a thing I’ve noticed in many, many fanfiction is the incorrect use of titles and honorifics in Nicky’s Italian lines. Which… I get it, it’s super-uper difficult to get and also Google is the worst of all to translate the right use and nuance (my suggestion is to always prefer Reverso Context when translating entire phrases, it’s based on examples and it’s more accurate in general). So!
Let’s start with family (famiglia, with a gl, different to the Spanish word).
Papà = dad (please, please, PLEASE USE THE ACCENT. Just like Nicolo ≠ Nicolò, remember that Papa = Pope. And Nicky’s dad - or Nicky as a dad - is not a Pope). Variants! They are mostly regionals, but you can also use: papi, babbo, pa’. Father = padre, so if Nicky has to refer to an austere father figure or someone else’s father? Use padre and the honorific form (we will get to that). Mamma = mom. Variants! Mami, mammà, ma’. Mother = madre. Figlio/a = son/daughter. Sorella = sister. Older sister = sorella maggiore or sorellona(like ‘big sis’), younger sister = sorella minoreorsorellina(’lil sis’). Fratello= brother. Older brother = fratello maggioreorfratellone(’big bro’), younger brother = fratello minoreorfratellino(’lil bro’). Nonno/a = grandad/grandma. Also: nonnino/nonnina, it’s cute. Zio/a = uncle/aunt. Cute: zietto/zietta. Cugino/a = cousin. Younger cousins could also be called: cuginetto/cuginetta. Nipote = nephew/niece and grandson/granddaughter. Younger ones: nipotino/nipotina. Suocero/a = father-in-law/mother-in-law. Cognato/a = brother-in-law/sister-in-law. Genero = son-in-law. Nuora = daughter-in-law. … and I’m stopping here, but if you have questions on other particular words just DM me :D
How to address loved ones.
Amico/a = friend. Someone who’s always very friendly and nice to hang up with = amicone/a. The BFF from when you were young kids = amichetto/a. Ragazzo/a = boyfriend/girlfriend. ‘Chi è? Il tuo ragazzo?’ = ‘Who’s that? Your boyfriend?’. Variants (also regionals): ragazzino/a,moroso/a,tipo/a. Fidanzato/a = fiancée. Could also be used as boy/girlfriend, but it’s mostly for couples about to get married. However, nonne all over Italy at Christmas would always ask their nephews/nieces ‘ce l’hai il/la fidanzatino/a?’ which basically is ‘have you found yourself a boy/girlfriend?’. Marito/moglie = husband/wife.
How to address royalty/nobility (to the person who asked about this specifically some time ago: took me some time, but here it is).
Prete = priest. Also: don (mostly used before the name to address the priest, like ‘Don Nicolò’)(yeah I know it reminds you of mafia names, that’s where they get it from… it’s basically a substitute of ‘signore’, frequently used in the South). You can also call the priest padre(father) ‘Padre Nicolò’.Padre superiore = father superior, frate = friar, monaco = monk, eremita = hermit, abate = abbott. To address a friar: fra and the name, like ‘Fra Giacomo’. Suora = nun. To address the nun: suor and the name, like ‘Suor Cristina’. Also: sorella, madre superiora = mother superior (’Madre Teresa’),badessa = abbess. Vescovo = bishop. ‘Sua Eccellenza’ = His Excellency. Arcivescovo = archbishop. ‘Sua Grazia’ = His Grace. Cardinale = cardinal. ‘Sua Eminenza’ = His Eminence. Papa = Pope. POPE. P-O-P-E as in the old holy guy dressed in white living in Vaticano. First rule of Italian, folks: we don’t have as many accents as the French, but when we do THEY MUST BE USED. Also: Santo Padre = Holy Father. ‘Sua Santità’ = His Holiness. I had to translate half ‘Wikihow - come rivolgersi al clero cattolico’ LOL
There should probably be a whole chapter about politics too, but you get the drift: use Reverso, check the examples and write me (or any other Italian user in the TOG fandom) a DM if you’re in doubt.
And we arrive straight to the honorific form. This is hard, I know… English doesn’t really have this form, but it’s extremely important to know it and know the differences to write/talk good Italian.
The basic rule is that when we speak to someone who’s above us in hierarchy (a client, a professor, an older colleague, ecc.) or a stranger, we use ‘lei’. Dare del lei means not referring to the person with the singular form of ‘you’ = tu, but use the female third person singular. Let’s proceed with an example: if you’re writing Nicky as a professor, he’s gonna be called ‘prof Di Genova’ by his Italian students. They wouldn’t say ‘prof, non interrogarmi’ to him, but they would use the ‘lei’ form: ‘prof, non mi interroghi’ (don’t test/question me, professor). This form is basically the most frequently translated by Google. This is why the most frequent mistake in fanfiction is Nicky asking ‘scusi?’ (sorry, in the ’lei’ form) to Joe or Andy or Booker instead of ‘scusa?’. As much as I think Nicky is a very polite guy and he definitely would use the ‘lei’ form with strangers, he knows his family (and his husband!) well enough to use the ‘you’. As a rule, always check if the translated Italian you are using is in the honorific form and, if it shouldn’t be in your fic (as in: Nicky is talking to someone he knows, like Nile or Joe or his family), change it to the ‘you’ form. NB! Nice nuance in fanfiction: Nicky using the ‘lei’ form with Copley or even Merrick (sometimes using the honorific form with asshole strangers adds a very sassy flavour) and Nicky using the ‘lei’ form with Joe if you’re writing a first meeting AU (in a polite/formal environment). It’s cute because there’s frequently a moment during a first meeting conversation where people ask each other: ‘possiamo darci del tu?’ (can we use the ‘you’ form?) and I think it’d work well with them.
You think this is it? THINK AGAIN! We also have an even more reverential form, to use with very veeery important people (nobility, extremely high-up people and the such) which is dare del voi.Voi = you (second person plural). The ‘vostra’ you saw above in the royalty part comes from this. Example: if Nicky is a prince or a king, a counselor should address him with the ‘voi’ form. ‘Vostra maestà, vogliate scusarmi: ho dimenticato di aggiornarvi su questo argomento’ (Your Majesty, please excuse me: I’ve forgotten to give you updates on this topic).
A bit complicated, I know, but I hope I’ve helped. Remember you can DM me anytime if you have questions. If you think I’ve forgotten something, please add a comment so that I can reply! :D
Here are the links to my previous ‘Italian language for fellow writers’ posts:
TOG fandom - How to write “good” in Italian (a little help for fellow writers)
I had this post planned for some time now, since I’ve read some mix-ups in quite a few fanfiction. I’m not the kind of reader who comments pointing out languages errors (doesn’t that feel rude, somehow?), so I hope this post reaches all the authors confused by Italian translations.
Basically, there’s a difference between “bene” good and “bello” good.
In the kill floor scene, when Andy asks how the others are (physically and emotionally), Nicky replies in Italian the equivalent of “all good”.
“Bene” is the ‘right’/’well’ good, as opposite of “male” = bad. It’s superlative form is “benissimo” (”Come stai oggi?” “Benissimo, grazie!” - “How are you today?” “Very good, thank you!”). You can also use it to describe someone appearance (”You look good!” - “Ti trovo bene!”) but in the ‘well’ sense, as in you find someone healthy/in good shape.
“Bello/a” is the ‘nice’/’beautiful’ good. Superlative form: “bellissimo/a” (”Sei bellissimo, Yusuf.” - “You are beautiful, Yusuf.”). It’s used to describe mostly someone’s nice appearance or a good view, a good feeling. NB! This is an adjective word so remember it has to follow the same number and genre of the subject you’re using (”Bella scoperta!” - “Good find!”, “Hai degli occhi bellissimi” - “You have beautiful eyes”).
There’s also “buono/a” and “buonissimo/a”, the ‘delicious’/’kind’ good. (”Sei così buona con me” - “You are so good to me.”). Used to appreciate food as well as the kindness of people. NB! Also an adjective.
Opposites time!
When the food is bad we don’t say it’s ‘male’, but it’s cattivo/a (still bad, but in the ‘evil’/’nasty’ meaning) or we can say it tastes bad (ha un cattivo sapore) or basically that it sucks (fa schifo). Same when someone is bad/evil, it’s cattivo (”una persona cattiva” = a bad person).
The opposite of bello/a is brutto/a, the ‘ugly’ bad. Also used to describe the weather.
A list of examples:
“Feels good” = sto bene/mi sento bene, che bello, è una bella sensazione
“This pasta is very good!” = questa pasta è buonissima!
“I’m all good, don’t worry” = sto bene, non preoccuparti
“Today the weather is good” = oggi è bel tempo
“Tomorrow there’s gonna be bad weather” = domani sarà brutto tempo
“Bello/a mio/a!” = my friend/buddy (same as “caro/a mio/a” NB! It may feel like an endearing term, but it’s kind of a playful/awkward word to describe someone you love. Reading Nicky call Joe ‘caro’/’bello’ all the time has me laughing, sometimes. It fits since it sounds like something an old man would say, but it doesn’t if the fanfiction is a Modern Setting AU. Anyway, it’s better like this: ‘mio caro’ = darling, basically… still funnily old-fashioned, like our Nicolò. Please never write ‘(il) mio bello’ tho, it’s just an antiquated way to say ‘my boyfriend’ lol)
Here are the links to my previous ‘Italian language for fellow writers’ posts:
Joe in the early days of travelling with Nicky, thinking about how hot Nicky’s ass looks underneath all that armour but also whether it’d be a good idea to fuck a Catholic
um so that moment where joe’s hovering over nicky to make sure he’s okay after being shot in the mouth and then nicky wakes up and he’s so relieved and his necklace is dangling down out of his shirt between them and nicky DOESN’T grab it to pull him down for a kiss I mean lost opportunities man
(651): He literally shouted this Viking war cry when he came. Then as we laid there he sang me the most beautiful rendition of “When Irish Eyes are Smiling”. I’ve never been more confused.
(571): If you can wrestle my underwear off of me, you can top. It’ll be like using an amulet in Legends of the Hidden Temple. Instead of not getting captured, you don’t get fucked in the ass.
god, bored, seeing that big nosed gay little priest and deciding to put the hottest man alive on his path for shits and giggles: this is gonna be so funny
[ID: A digital drawing of Joe and Nicky from The Old Guard kissing passionately with their arms around each other. Nicky’s t-shirt has rode up his back.They’re coloured like the rainbow pride flag in watercolours and the style is lose black lines. The background is white with a concentric design from their kiss outwards like a mandala. End ID]
