troppo forte
/ˈtrɔp.po ˈfɔr.te/word by word
The English phrase "so cool" can be translated into Italian as troppo forte.
troppo forte is an informal expression used to describe someone or something as very impressive or great. You can use it to describe both people and inanimate objects that are impressive.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "too strong".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
troppo forte is an informal expression and is not suitable for formal writing or professional settings. For a formal context to convey a high level of coolness, you can use Estremamente interessante (extremely interesting). In slang, you might instead use Figata to mean "cool" or "awesome".
How does it change in a sentence?
When describing multiple people or things, the phrase changes to troppo forti.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈtrɔp.po ˈfɔr.te/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The slang word figata is derived from figa, which is a vulgar term for female genitalia. Despite its origins, figata is used widely to describe something 'cool' or 'awesome' without necessarily being intended as an obscenity.
- The word troppo has surprising Germanic roots, coming from a Frankish word for a 'village' or 'cluster of houses'.
- While English speakers use 'too' to mean 'excessively' in a negative way, Italians use troppo as a common intensifier for positive things, much like saying 'so' or 'very' in English.
Examples in context
- That concert was una figata!That concert was so cool!
- Quel film è troppo forte.That movie is so cool.
- Hai visto il nuovo gioco? È troppo forte!Did you see the new game? It's so cool!
- Il tuo nuovo stile è troppo forte.Your new style is so cool.
Example conversation
Chiara shows Francesco a video of her skateboard trick.
- ChiaraGuarda cosa so fare ora!Look what I can do now!
- FrancescoMa sei troppo forte, Chiara!But you're so cool, Chiara!
- ChiaraGrazie, ci ho messo molto a imparare.Thanks, it took me a long time to learn.
- FrancescoInsegnami anche tu, per favore.Teach me too, please.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (troppo, forte) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries forte, troppo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
