Idiomatic expressions (espressioni idiomatiche) are fixed phrases whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. They are essential for sounding natural in Italian. At B1 level, you will encounter idioms in conversation, media, and everyday writing. Learning them in groups — by theme — makes them easier to memorise and use.
| Idiom | Literal meaning | Actual meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| avere le mani in pasta | to have one's hands in the dough | to be involved / to have connections | Il sindaco ha le mani in pasta in molti affari. |
| costare un occhio della testa | to cost an eye from the head | to cost a fortune | Quell'appartamento costa un occhio della testa. |
| prendere in giro | to take someone for a spin | to make fun of / to tease | Smettila di prendermi in giro! |
| avere il pollice verde | to have a green thumb | to be good at gardening | Mia nonna ha il pollice verde — il giardino è bellissimo. |
| avere la testa fra le nuvole | to have one's head among the clouds | to be a daydreamer / distracted | Marco ha sempre la testa fra le nuvole durante le lezioni. |
| perdere la testa | to lose one's head | to lose control / to fall madly in love | Ha perso la testa per quella ragazza. |
| avere il cuore in gola | to have one's heart in one's throat | to be very anxious / heart pounding | Prima dell'esame avevo il cuore in gola. |
| fare di testa propria | to do things with one's own head | to do as one pleases / to act independently | Non ascolta mai nessuno — fa sempre di testa propria. |
| Idiom | Literal meaning | Actual meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| prendere due piccioni con una fava | to catch two pigeons with one bean | to kill two birds with one stone | Vado in centro: prendo due piccioni con una fava — faccio la spesa e incontro il medico. |
| non avere peli sulla lingua | to have no hairs on one's tongue | to speak one's mind / to be blunt | Lucia non ha peli sulla lingua — dice sempre quello che pensa. |
| cavare il ragno dal buco | to pull a spider from its hole | to get something useful out of a difficult situation | Ho parlato con lui per un'ora ma non ho cavato il ragno dal buco. |
| fare il pelo e il contropelo | to shave and counter-shave | to scrutinise / to pick apart / to nitpick | Il professore ci ha fatto il pelo e il contropelo sull'esame. |
| mettere il carro davanti ai buoi | to put the cart before the oxen | to put the cart before the horse | Stai già scegliendo la casa senza avere il lavoro — metti il carro davanti ai buoi! |
| non è pane per i miei denti | it is not bread for my teeth | it is not my thing / it is too hard for me | La matematica avanzata non è pane per i miei denti. |
| prendere la palla al balzo | to catch the ball on the bounce | to seize the opportunity | Quando ho visto quel prezzo basso, ho preso la palla al balzo. |
| Idiom | Literal meaning | Actual meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| stare sulle spine | to stand on thorns | to be on edge / anxious | Aspettavo i risultati e stavo sulle spine. |
| non stare nella pelle | to not fit in one's skin | to be overexcited / bursting with excitement | Quando ha saputo della promozione non stava nella pelle. |
| sentirsi a proprio agio | to feel at one's ease | to feel comfortable / at home | Mi sento sempre a mio agio con i miei amici. |
| essere di buon umore | to be in a good mood | to be in a good mood | Oggi il capo è di buon umore — ottimo momento per chiedere un aumento. |
| avere il morale a terra | to have one's morale on the ground | to be feeling very low / depressed | Dopo la sconfitta tutta la squadra aveva il morale a terra. |
| Idiom | Literal meaning | Actual meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| essere al verde | to be at the green (bottom of a candle) | to be broke / have no money | Non posso venire — sono completamente al verde questo mese. |
| fare le cose in grande | to do things in a big way | to do things extravagantly / on a grand scale | Per il loro matrimonio hanno fatto le cose in grande. |
| non è colpa mia | it is not my fault | it is not my fault | Non è colpa mia se il treno era in ritardo. |
| rompersi la testa | to break one's head | to rack one's brains | Mi sono rotto la testa su questo problema per ore. |
| avere le mani bucate | to have holes in one's hands | to be a spendthrift | Quei soldi sono finiti subito — hai le mani bucate! |
| fare quattro chiacchiere | to make four little chats | to have a quick chat | Ci siamo fermati a fare quattro chiacchiere davanti al bar. |
The best way to memorise Italian idioms is to learn them in context — always with a full example sentence, not just a translation. Notice that many Italian idioms use body parts (testa, mani, occhio, cuore, pollice) or animals and everyday objects. When you encounter a new idiom, ask yourself: does Italian have a direct equivalent to an English idiom I already know? Sometimes yes (two birds/one stone = due piccioni/una fava), but often the image is completely different. Group your study by theme, practise with fill-in-the-blank sentences, and try to use one new idiom each day in a real sentence.
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Body Part Idioms — Meanings
10 questions
Body Part Idioms — In Context
10 questions
Body Part Idioms — Identify the Meaning
10 questions
Body Part Idioms — True or False Meaning
10 questions
Body Part Idioms — Situational Use
10 questions
Body Part Idioms — Meaning Match
10 questions
Body Part Idioms — Which is Correct?
10 questions
Body Part Idioms — Translation
10 questions
Body Part Idioms — Mixed Review A
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Body Part Idioms — Mixed Review B
10 questions
10 exercises · 0 completed
Animal and Nature Idioms — Meanings
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — In Context
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — Identify the Correct Idiom
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — Dialogue Context
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — Translation
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — Which Sentence is Correct?
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — Mixed Practice A
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — Mixed Practice B
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — Review C
10 questions
Animal and Nature Idioms — Final Review
10 questions
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Emotional State Idioms — Meanings
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — In Context
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — Situational
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — Dialogue Context
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — Positive or Negative?
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — Translation
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — Mixed Review A
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — Mixed Review B
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — Mixed Review C
10 questions
Emotional State Idioms — Final Review
10 questions
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Workplace and Social Idioms — Meanings
10 questions
Workplace and Social Idioms — In Context
10 questions
Workplace and Social Idioms — Dialogue Context
10 questions
Workplace and Social Idioms — Translation
10 questions
Workplace and Social Idioms — Mixed Practice A
10 questions
Workplace and Social Idioms — Mixed Practice B
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Workplace and Social Idioms — Mixed Review C
10 questions
Workplace and Social Idioms — Identify the Correct Meaning
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Workplace and Social Idioms — Final Review A
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Workplace and Social Idioms — Final Review B
10 questions
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Advanced — Choose the Best Idiom for the Context
10 questions
Advanced — Error Identification
10 questions
Advanced — Paraphrase the Idiom
10 questions
Advanced — Cross-Group Combinations
10 questions
Advanced — Idiom in Context (All Groups)
10 questions
Advanced — Which Idiom Does NOT Fit?
10 questions
Advanced — Full Paragraph Comprehension
10 questions
Advanced — Full Recall: All Groups
10 questions
Advanced — Comprehensive Mastery Test A
10 questions
Advanced — Comprehensive Mastery Test B
10 questions