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PhrasesAgreeing and DisagreeingManco per idea!
B1informal

Manco per idea!

No way! / Not a chance!

Pronunciation

'Manco' — MAN-co. Stress on the first syllable. Used as 'not even' in dialects, absorbed into standard colloquial Italian.

When to use it

Use with close friends to vehemently refuse or disagree — more colourful and emphatic than 'no'. Particularly expressive of surprised refusal.

What it means

'Manco' is a colloquial Italian word meaning 'not even' (from 'nemmeno' / 'neanche'). 'Manco per idea' (not even for the idea) is an idiomatic way to refuse an idea outright — 'not even the thought of it!'

Variations

Ni morti!

Absolutely not!

Southern Italian slang — literally 'not dead' — means 'absolutely not'. Vivid.

Ma quando mai!

When has that ever been! / No way!

'Ma quando mai' — rhetorical question implying something has never happened and never will

Nemmeno se mi pagassero.

Not even if they paid me.

Conditional refusal — 'pagassero' is congiuntivo of 'pagare'. No amount of money would change your mind.

Mini Dialogue

— Potresti scusarti con lui? — Manco per idea! Ha torto marcio e lo sa. — Capisco, ma per il bene del gruppo... — No, certe cose non le faccio.

— Could you apologise to him? — No way! He's completely wrong and he knows it. — I understand, but for the good of the group... — No, certain things I won't do.

Cultural Note

'Torto marcio' (rotten wrong — completely and inexcusably wrong) is a vivid Italian intensifier. The '-marcio' (rotten) suffix adds moral weight to the wrong — not just incorrect but deeply, obviously wrong. A staple of Italian domestic and political arguments.