passa la palla
The English phrase 'pass the ball' is translated into Italian as passa la palla.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb passare (to pass) and the noun phrase la palla (the ball).
How does it change in a sentence?
passa la palla is the informal imperative used when giving a command to one person. If you are commanding a group of people to pass the ball, you use passate la palla instead of passa la palla.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word palla can describe a snowball, a ball of wool, or even a very boring person if you say they are una palla.
- The word palla shares an ancient root with the English word 'bubble', as both trace back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to blow or swell'.
- While palla is used for a generic ball, Italians use the specific word pallone for a larger ball, such as a football or volleyball.
Examples in context
- Davide, passami la palla!David, pass me the ball!
- Scusate, potreste passare la palla?Excuse me, could you pass the ball?
- Andrea, dai la palla!Andrea, pass the ball!
- Passa la palla, per favore!Pass the ball, please!
- Passa la palla a me!Pass the ball to me!
- Sei veloce, ma passa la palla.You are fast, but pass the ball.
- Non puoi correre sempre da solo, passa la palla.You can't always run alone, pass the ball.
Example conversation
Francesco and Martina are playing soccer in the park.
- FrancescoMartina, passa la palla!Martina, pass the ball!
- MartinaSì, eccola!Yes, here it is!
- FrancescoGrazie, ora corro verso la porta.Thanks, now I'm running towards the goal.
- MartinaTira forte, Francesco!Kick it hard, Francesco!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, palla, CC BY-SA 4.0.
