ti uccido
The Italian phrase for "I will kill you" is ti uccido.
This phrase is a threat to take someone's life, and it is often used during moments of extreme anger.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, ti uccido means "I kill you" in the present tense. Italians use the present tense to express an action that is certain or about to happen in the immediate future.
Which one should you use?
While ti uccido is a standard way to express the threat, ti ammazzo is a more common, visceral and colloquial alternative. Additionally, Le verrò a uccidere translates to "I will come to kill you."
How does it change in a sentence?
Although ti uccido uses the present tense to express a future threat, the grammatically correct future tense form is ti ucciderò.
Did you know?
- While 'I will kill you' is a direct threat, Italians might use the phrase ti faccio fuori in a criminal or underworld context to mean 'I will eliminate you'.
- In highly heated arguments, using the formal 'Lei' instead of 'ti' in a threat, such as La uccido, can make the threat feel chillingly detached and even more terrifying.
- The verb ammazzare comes from the word mazza, meaning 'club' or 'mace', implying a death by blunt force.
Examples in context
- Non riesci mai a battermi a calcio? Neanche per sogno! Ti ammazzo!You can never beat me in soccer? Not even in your dreams! I will kill you!
- Non mi prendere in giro! Altrimenti ti spacco la testa!Don't make fun of me! Otherwise, I'll break your head!
- Se mi fai questo, ti uccido.If you do this to me, I will kill you.
- Se continui a tormentarmi, ti uccido!If you keep tormenting me, I will kill you!
- Ti uccido se non mi restituisci i soldi.I will kill you if you don't give me back my money.
Example conversation
Sofia and Francesco are arguing intensely during a heated game.
- SofiaHai barato di nuovo, Francesco!You cheated again, Francesco!
- FrancescoNon è vero, Sofia, smettila.It is not true, Sofia, stop it.
- SofiaTi uccido se non ammetti la verità!I will kill you if you don't admit the truth!
- FrancescoCalmati, stai esagerando molto.Calm down, you are exaggerating a lot.
