niente di che
/ˈnjɛn.te di ˈke/word by word
The Italian phrase for "nothing much" is niente di che.
niente di che is used to downplay the importance, quality or excitement of something, suggesting it is mediocre or unremarkable.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "nothing of which" or "nothing of that".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
niente di che is an informal way to express that something is not particularly noteworthy. Other informal options include Niente di speciale or the phrase Tutto tranquillo, which carries the sense of "all calm" or "everything is quiet".
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈnjɛn.te di ˈke/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word niente has a mysterious origin, with some scholars suggesting it stems from the Latin phrase ne gentem, meaning 'no person' or 'no one'.
- Italians often accompany phrases of indifference like niente di che with a specific hand gesture, such as a slight shrug or a palm-up motion, to emphasize the lack of importance.
- While you might see niente written in texts, some speakers pronounce it with a doubled initial sound, like nniente, to preserve an older rhythmic structure.
Examples in context
- Non sta ancora succedendo niente di che.Nothing much is happening yet.This sentence shows how to use niente di che to say that nothing much is happening.Tatoeba #2495761 by Guybrush88, translation #2495651 by CK
- Cosa fai oggi? Oh, niente di speciale, probabilmente starò a casa a leggere.What are you doing today? Oh, nothing much, probably just staying home and reading.
- Oggi non è successo niente di che.Nothing much happened today.
Example conversation
Martina and Francesco are chatting on the phone.
- MartinaCiao Francesco, che succede di nuovo?Hi Francesco, what's new?
- FrancescoNiente di che, sono solo a casa.Nothing much, I'm just at home.
- MartinaVuoi venire al parco con me?Do you want to come to the park with me?
- FrancescoSì, buona idea! Arrivo subito.Yes, good idea! I'm coming right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (niente, di, che) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries che, di, niente, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
