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PhrasesAt a Football MatchIl derby è la partita più importante dell'anno?
B1

Il derby è la partita più importante dell'anno?

Is the derby the most important match of the year?

Pronunciation

eel DEHR-bee eh la par-TEE-tah pyoo eem-por-TAN-teh del-LAN-noh.

When to use it

Ask a local fan when you know a derby is coming up. In Italian cities with two clubs, the derby transcends sport — it is a question of identity.

What it means

Il derby is the match between city rivals — the term is used in Italian exactly as in English. La partita più importante means the most important match. Dell'anno means of the year. The derby is typically the most anticipated fixture in Italian football.

Variations

Qual è il derby più sentito in Italia?

Which is the most passionately felt derby in Italy?

Opening a debate about Italian football's great rivalries.

Sei milanista o interista?

Are you a Milan fan or an Inter fan?

The fundamental question for Milanese football identity.

Come ti senti quando perdi il derby?

How do you feel when you lose the derby?

A question that provokes strong emotional responses.

Mini Dialogue

— Il derby è la partita più importante dell'anno? — Per noi sì, più dello Scudetto a volte. — Come mai? — Perché riguarda l'onore della città. Il campionato è razionale, il derby è pura emozione. — Capisco. È qualcosa di speciale.

— Is the derby the most important match of the year? — For us yes, sometimes more than the league title. — Why? — Because it is about the honour of the city. The league is rational, the derby is pure emotion. — I understand. It is something special.

Cultural Note

Italy's great football derbies: Derby della Madonnina (Milan vs Inter), Derby della Capitale (Roma vs Lazio), Derby del Sole (Roma vs Napoli), Derby d'Italia (Juventus vs Inter). Each carries deep cultural and sometimes political overtones — Lazio is historically associated with the right, Roma with the left.