tifare
The Italian verb for to cheer is tifare.
The verb tifare is most commonly used to mean cheering for or supporting a specific sports team or athlete. A related noun, buonumore, refers to a cheerful attitude or gaiety.
Meaning: to applaud or encourage with cheers or shouts (verb)
Which one should you use?
Use tifare when you are supporting a side or a team, but use applaudire if you are specifically referring to the physical act of clapping hands.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
While in English you 'cheer for' a team, in Italian you often use the construction tifare per followed by the team name.
When do people say it?
When cheering someone on informally, you might use several common expressions: Forza! can mean "Come on!" or "You can do it!" Dai! is used to mean "Let's go!" or "Give it your all!" And In bocca al lupo!, which literally means "In the mouth of the wolf", is used to say "Good luck!" or "Break a leg!"
Did you know?
- The verb tifare is actually a descendant of a word meaning 'typhus', a disease once spread by lice. Historically, the term emerged to describe a state of feverish, almost delirious excitement felt by intense sports supporters.
- The phrase In bocca al lupo is the standard way to cheer someone on before a challenge, but the traditional response is Crepi il lupo, meaning 'may the wolf die'.
- Italian stadium cheers are often organized into cori, which are choreographed rhythmic chants led by a leader with a megaphone.
Examples in context
- Andiamo a tifare la nostra squadra!Let's go cheer for our team!
- Mi piace tifare per l'Italia.I like to cheer for Italy.
Example conversation
Sofia and Matteo are watching a soccer match.
- SofiaPer chi vuoi tifare oggi, Matteo?Who do you want to cheer for today, Matteo?
- MatteoVoglio tifare per i locali.I want to cheer for the home team.
- SofiaIo invece tifo per gli ospiti!I am cheering for the visitors instead!
- MatteoAllora sarà una sfida interessante.Then it will be an interesting challenge.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tifare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
