indovina un po'
The Italian phrase for "guess what" is indovina un po'.
indovina un po' is used to build anticipation before revealing a piece of news, even if that news is trivial or predictable. It is a way to dramatize something that might not actually be surprising.
Meaning: used to dramatize the unsurprising (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the imperative verb indovina (guess) and the expression un po' (a little).
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a group of people, you should use the plural imperative indovinate un po' instead of the singular indovina un po'.
Did you know?
- While indovina means 'guess', the word indovinare historically meant 'to divine' or 'to predict the future' through supernatural means.
- The phrase un po' is used so often as a social softener in Italian that it frequently carries no meaning of quantity and acts as a rhythmic filler in conversation.
- If you want to sound more ironic or skeptical rather than genuinely excited, you might swap indovina un po' for ma guarda un po', which translates to 'but look at that'.
Examples in context
- Indovina un po', hanno preso l'autobus sbagliato!Guess what, they got the wrong bus!This sentence is useful for seeing how to use indovina un po' when sharing news.Tatoeba #12201773 by carlosalberto, translation #12201766 by carlosalberto
- Sai cosa? Ho deciso di andare in vacanza la prossima settimana!You know what? I've decided to go on vacation next week!
- Ti dico una cosa: ho incontrato il mio cantante preferito oggi!I'll tell you something: I met my favorite singer today!
- Sai cosa? Domani andiamo tutti insieme al concerto di Vasco Rossi!You know what? Tomorrow we're all going to Vasco Rossi's concert!
- Indovina un po', il treno è in ritardo come sempre.Guess what, the train is late as usual.
- Indovina un po', oggi non piove.Guess what, it is not raining today.
Example conversation
Alessandro and Martina are talking about the weather in the kitchen.
- AlessandroIndovina un po', è finalmente uscito il sole!Guess what, the sun is finally out!
- MartinaDavvero? Che bella notizia, Alessandro.Really? That is great news, Alessandro.
- AlessandroSì, finalmente possiamo fare una passeggiata.Yes, finally we can go for a walk.
- MartinaOttima idea, andiamo subito!Great idea, let's go right now!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
