How to Say Shut Up in Italian
Release time：2023-06-22 15:25:48 oRead0
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Saying Shut Up as a Command
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1
Say shut up to a man in Italian. Stai zitto! The phrase is pronounced STY-dzee-toh. Put the emphasis on the first syllable.
- This phrase will come across as rude to some because it’s an order.
- It’s also an informal way of speech, so it shouldn’t be said to, say, a teacher. It’s a direct command.
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2
Say shut up to a woman. This version is Stai zitta! It’s pronounced STY-dzee-tah.
- Put the emphasis on the first syllable.
- Use this term if you are telling a single person to shut up, not several people.
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3
Use slang words to say shut up. A more colloquial way of saying be quiet is “Taci!” Pronounce the word “Tah-chee.” It’s from the verb tacere, which means to go quiet. The word taci has been decreasing in popularity, though.
- Sometimes people will shorten Stai zitto to zitto. Zitto’s plural is ziti and zitta is feminine.
- Say Chiudi la bocca! This phrase means shut your mouth. Pronounce it kyoo-dee-LA-BOH-kah. Put the emphasis on the third and fourth syllables. This is considered an impolite way to say shut up because it literally means “shut your trap.”
- Some dictionaries label it a vulgar term and say it means shut your mouth or shut your face.
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1
Tell someone to be quiet in a more formal way. If you want to be more formal, you can say faccia silenzio (be silent).
- Silenzioso! Be quiet (SEE- lehn-tzee-oh-soh). You can also say Silenzio! Speak fast if you want to sound Italian.
- Silenzioso is a more polite version of the word that would likely be said in a quieter fashion.
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1
Use a pronunciation guide. Before you try to say Italian words, take some time to understand how vowels and consonants sound in Italian. You can find many of these pronunciation guides online.
- There are only 7 vowel sounds in Italian. When two or more vowels occur in a row, pronounce them separately. Some vowel sounds depend on the part of Italy you’re in.
- Most words in Italian are phonetic, meaning they are pronounced the way they are written.
- Most consonants sound similar to the way they are pronounced in English. The exceptions are the consonants c and g. These vary depending on the letters that follow them. Pronounce double consonants more forcefully than single consonants.
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2
Speak expressively. Italian is a very emotional language. Use your hands. Let your emotions out. Let them be wild, bold and expressive.
- The key is to say Italian vowels short and clear. Don’t draw them out. In English, you may end with a gliding sound. Italian is more abrupt.
- Open your mouth wide to form a big and round vowel sound. For example, the letter "a" should be spoken with a wide open mouth. Say “aahh!”