My friend and I are in a group chat with three Italian men (long story, but we met while travelling in Spain). Our conversations are mostly friendly and joking, and we usually text in English.

A couple of days ago, they exchanged the following messages in Italian:

M.: “S., are you still alive? (Ci sei ancora?)”

S.: “Certo che ci sono, ma tu rispondi solo alle fighe 😂”

When I translate S.’s reply into English, it sounds quite vulgar, but I’m not sure whether it comes across the same way in Italian. 

I’d really appreciate some insight from native Italian speakers. Thanks so much for your help!

Hi everyone! Native Italian speaker offering online lessons here.
If your Italian is currently a fun mix of gestures and hope, let’s actually fix that!

✍️ What we’ll actually do: real conversation, clear grammar and lots of speaking practice. No endless vocabulary lists, I promise.
Come with questions, leave ready to talk like a local*.*

Spots are limited on purpose: quality over chaos.
Message me and let’s start this journey together. A presto!

L'avete notato anche voi negli ultimi anni (nell'uso pubblico/mediatico)? Mi pare una replica ancora più grave della storia della degenerazione del "piuttosto che".................................( PS: e molto interessante sarebbe anche capirne il "perché?" ? Riduzione di complessità/economia dello sforzo grammaticale nel parlato? Altro?)

Hello everyone!
As the title says, im planning on working in Italy during december-march.
I have an italian passport, however, my italian is pretty basic. I can speak in Spanish and English.
I was wondering what kind of jobs I could get and where given my little knowledge of the language.

Thanks!!

Non so perché ma mi sono trovato il doppiaggio automatico attivo negli short, tra l'altro per un video già originariamente in italiano. E niente, ho riso per mezz'ora

made myself a salami provolone and pepperoni sandwich from stuff i bought at my local italian market. how'd i do?

Edit:

i would like to mention that i never called this an "authentic" italian sandwich. do with this information what you want.

to those that were nice and educated enough to teach me the italian way, i hope your spaghetti stays intact and comes out al dente when cooking.

and to those who were "roasting me" which majority weren't even roasts, i hope your pasta "accidentally breaks when cooking and comes out overcooked

have a great day :D

I asked a similar question before about what makes someone sound more natural in Italian, but I’m also curious about the cultural side of things.

What are some things you think Italian learners should know to really understand the language and culture, beyond grammar and vocabulary? I’m thinking of expressions, cultural references, social norms or little things that an Italian would just instinctively know.

I recently went to Palermo, Sicily, and a man was trying to tell me about a special word. He kept raising his hands saying what sounded like “EE-PEE” and tried to explain it meaning living a carefree life, or a life connected to all, or something about being free spirited. Does anyone know what this word or phrase means and how you spell it?

Soffro di insonnia quindi ne approfitto per sfogarmi qui su delle minchiate: da un po' di anni a questa parte ho notato che molte persone non usano più il superlativo ma si limitato ad un fastidiosissimo uso del "super".

"Super carino", "super bello", "super crunchy", addirittura ho sentito gente usare "mega ___". Ma che vi ha fatto di male il superlativo? Perché nessuno dice più "carinissimo"?

This weekend I arrived in Siracusa to spend a month here at a B and B (I'm a 49 year old man from California). I don’t speak the beautiful Italian language, but Italy is my favorite country out of seventy or so that I have been to (this is the fifth time I have been here). 

Monday morning, the grandmotherly woman who comes in the morning to serve the breakfast and to clean the rooms introduced herself to me using Google Translate and she explained how things work. She looks to be in her 70s.

Using Google Translate, I asked her if there was an extra charge for breakfast. She looked at me and then spoke into the app, “Stronzetta,” which the app translated as “bitch.”

Seeing this older Sicilian woman smirk at me while holding her phone out to me that said “bitch” on it was very funny. I just laughed. What else could I do.

Can someone explain this to me? I can take being called a bitch by an elderly Italian woman and in fact found it very amusing. I’m used to being the stupid American abroad. But I’d really like to understand.

Was she offended that I asked her if there was a charge for breakfast?

Is there another interpretation of this?

Or am I just a bitch? Ha ha

Any suggestions on what I can do to help us have a good working relationship during my time here would also be appreciated.

-Grazie from a stupid American bitch

EDIT: Grazie! Thank you all for your insightful comments. I will assume that Google Translate misheard what she said. Today, she told me (via Translate) that she is bringing in some caponata tomorrow for me to eat. Heck yes! Lucky me! It's all good. I like her grandmotherly presence, even if I am a little scared of her, ha ha.

How do you say, “my grandmother’s prayers are still protecting me” in Italian? I don’t trust google and unfortunately the language was never passed down through generations. I called my grandmother Grammy, if that matters, unless sticking with nonna will flow better. Thank you in advance!

Hey folks,

I've been living in Italy for 8 years now and I have had daily exposure to Italian ever since. Even though I had more exposure to English due to my education and the international community I was surrounded by. English is my second language and Italian is the third.

My listening is around B2, while my speaking lacks structure and heavily depends on if I am under stress, or tired or simply not in the mood for Italian. I feel stupid and not talented sometimes, because I know that this is not common. What do you suggest/think?