Selection of Abruzzo proverbs, sayings and idioms most used in Abruzzo, including translation into Italian, as testimony to the wisdom of its people.
Abruzzese idioms
- Too much cumbedénze makes lose the criànze. (Too much confidence makes the creation lose)
- If vù will change cunténte arechiudete déntre a nu cumménte. (If you want to live happily shut yourself up inside a convent)
- A chije waits, n’hêre ije ne pare sette. (To those who wait, one hour seems to them seven)
- La supérbije ijò a mare and arevènne a 'ppéte. (Pride went on horseback and returned on foot)
- The hìsene lèteche and varèle if it breaks. (Donkeys fight and barrels fall apart)
- If all the cille cuniscêsse lu rane, ‘nze magnêsse‘ cchiù lu pane. (If all the birds knew the wheat, they wouldn't eat the bread anymore)
- A la Signêre che magnêije li pullastrelle ije came vulèije de li pear cooked. (The lady who ate chickens felt like cooked pears)
- The ‘rrobbe de lu’ rriffe and ‘rraffe goes‘ nga lu ‘zziffe and‘ zzaffe. (The fruit of the intrallazzo goes away with waste)
- L'hommene veziêse de tabbacche, go to l'imberne and if you bring the pèppe. (The vicious man of tobacco goes to hell and brings a pipe)
- San Magne has nate prème de Crèste. (Saint Magno was born before Christ)
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- In paijàra vicchie 'nge manghe maije li sêrge. (In the old haystack rats never fail)
- The 'rrobbe de l'avarene if lu sciampagnêne exploits it. (The stingy stuff squanders the prodigal)
- L’hosse vicchije acchênge la pignate. (Old bone seasoning the pot)
- Those that vèta vète, those that Sinda Sinde, if you want to make 'bbéne nor arecundà maije ninde. (What you see you see, what you hear you feel, if you want to do well never tell anything)
- In Sante vicchije 'nze appicce' cchié cannèle. (In Santo Vecchio no more candles are lit)
- La rota hênte ‘nnè strèlle. (The lubricated wheel does not squeak)
- Lucchije de lu patrêne 'ngrasse lu cavalle. (The master's eye fattens the horse)
- The ones that nen và pè trame, và pè stêse. (What doesn't go by plot, goes by lay)
- Apply and let sapene. (Get to work and you will get the result)
- The raije de la matène aremèttele pè la sêre and the raije de la sêre arepénnele pè la matène. (The anger of the morning put it back for the evening and the anger of the evening put it back for the morning)
- Cucce rétte và simbre ‘n gere pè la case. (Broken shards always go around the house)
- Quande tì mandè, ca quande nen tì se mandé da hêsse. (When you hold, because when you don't hold it by itself)
- Bardisce, hummene and murte has turbre symbols. (Children, men and the dead are always wrong)
- The ijérva cattève nen more maije. (Bad grass never dies.
- Li guaije de la pignate knows how to cook. (The trouble of the pot knows them the ladle)
- Quande ‘nge is the cat, sérge abballe. (When there is no cat, mice dance)
- Whoever abyss you and who knows what he finds out. (The lower you go, the more your butt is revealed)
- The hanghe kept the song. (The jaw supports the leg)
- Parinde is them 'ndé them shoes,' cchiù is strètte and 'cchiù is dulè. (Relatives are like shoes, the tighter they are, the more they hurt)
- Quande lu diavele te accarêzze, vò l'alme. (When the devil caresses you he wants the soul)
- Chije aspétte, ‘Ddèije l'assétte. (Who waits, God trims it)
- La gallène féte l'ove e lu galle strèlle. (The hen lays the egg and the rooster cries)
- Lu 'cchiù pulète té la regne ". (The cleaner has mange)
- Quande la hatte 'nne arrève a lu larde, dèce ca è ràngeche. (When the cat doesn't get lard it says it's rancid)
- Chije càreche and scàreche nen lose maije témpe. (Those who upload and download never waste time)
- La cire se fréghe e la prucessiêne nen cammène. (The wax is consumed and the procession does not walk)
Abruzzese sayings
- Lu cooked over lu vullète.(The cooked on the boiled)
- Quande de core nen me vé, n'accedénte a chije fa fa fa. (When it doesn't come to my heart, damn who makes me do it)
- Chije gere de notte goes' nghêndre to death. (Those who go around at night face death)
- La bellêzze fène a la porte, buntà fène a la morte. (Beauty to the door, goodness to death)
- Lu plant grane ijétte la préte and annaschênne la mane. (The troublemaker throws the stone and hides his hand)
- Quande 'cchiù pénne' cchiù rénne. (The more it hangs the more it makes)
- Chije has ‘mmassate occas smasse cà if he has fallen lu chile de lu fêrne. (Who has amassed that I am amazed because the sky of the oven has collapsed)
- The arte de tate is half-finished. (The father's art is partially learned)
- Lu rècche ago 'ndà vò, lu puverélle ago' ndà pò. (The rich man does as he wishes, the poor man does as he can)
- Pridde, mammène and pulle nen é maije satùlle. (Priests, midwives and chickens are never satisfied)
- Chije ijoche a lu lotte and spére de vênce, lasse li stracce and peije li cènce. (Those who play the lotto and hope to win, leave the rags and take the rags)
- The water that ‘nne has rained‘ n chile is. (The water that has not rained is still in the sky)
- Lu blood complains, but 'nze magne. (Blood whines, but you don't eat)
- Poor to chije if more cà chije changes if cunzòle. (Poor who dies because those who live console themselves)
- Chije l'arte nen vò 'mbarà, sberre or friar if he has something to do. (Who does not want to learn a trade must be a cop or a friar)
- Ijétte la préte e annaschênne la mane. (Throw the stone and hide the hand)
- Lu ve 'bbone if he came without branches. (Good wine is sold without branches)
- Poor ‘lla dova‘ nge và nisciéne. (Poor that house where nobody goes)
- Chije magne prème, magne 'ddu vodde. (Who eats first, eats twice)
- Ije te dèce harre and you stick to it. (I tell you to go ahead and you lie down)
- Lu vove desse curnéte at the asene. (The ox said horned to the donkey)
- Sin and 'ddìbbete who makes the wages. (Sins and debts who makes them pay them)
- Chije negotiations change, chije fatèije crépe. (Who negotiates campa, who works crack)
- Ha ijète a cercà grazie and truvate ijustèzie. (He went to find grace and found justice)
- Màgnete 'ssà menéstre or zùmpete' ssà fenéstre. (Eat that soup or skip that window)
- Pè lu campe mètta mètte, pè the strate nècchia nècchie. (In the field try to take as much as you can, on the way (back), however, you will notice the weight)
- Chije nen po 'vatte sacche, vatte sacchêtte. (Who cannot rage on the sack, rages on the sack)
- Guaije 'nghe la pale, death nen vinghe maije. (Woe to the shovel, but death never comes)
- Maije mazzate made good dog. (The beatings never brought up a dog well)
- Pass the angel and dece ammén. (Pass the angel and say: so be it)
- Chije péquere se fa, lépe se le magne. (Who becomes sheep is eaten by the wolf)
- Genta trèste, 'nnumenate and vèste. (Bad people appear as soon as they talk about it)
- Maije raije d'asene saijò 'n Chile. (Never donkey bray went up to Heaven)
- Ognéne sà hêsse ‘Ddèije sà tétte. (Everyone knows their own things, God knows everything)
- Chije pò, fà a zumpètte, chije no, if sta zètte. (Those who are capable of doing the jumps, who is not silent)
- Frèije lu pésce and look at the hatte. (Fry the fish and watch the cat)
Abruzzese proverbs
- Matremunias and bishops from lu Chile is relaxed. (Weddings and bishops are intended from Heaven)
- Either cooked or créte lu foche has seen it. (Or cooked or raw the fire, however, has seen it)
- Chije se vésceche ‘nze annéghe. (Those who fidget don't drown)
- Fiocche nen does ghenne, all help to ijêgne. (A bow does not make the skirt, but everything helps to add)
- Maces and panélle fà li fèije 'bbélle. (Bats and rolls make children beautiful)
- Nu patre pò campà cénte fèije, cénte fèije nen pò campà nu patre. (A father can support a hundred children, a hundred children cannot support a father)
- Chije se vregugnò diijuno. (Who was ashamed fasted)
- Fèije de hatte surge catcher. (The cat's son takes the mice)
- Mbare the art and put them aside. (Learn a trade and set it aside)
- Nu pare de rêcchie ‘bbùne yes quanta lêngue stracche. (A good pair of ears you know how many languages you are tired)
- Chije spare ‘nne attacche, spare‘ nne ascioije. (Who does not tie the spare does not dissolve it)
- Facce hìjnnere facce nore, but the asene vicchie porte la some. (I make genders I do daughter-in-law, but it is always the old donkey that carries the load)
- Me sò ijète a fà la Crêce and sò chase the juice. (I made the sign of the Cross and pulled out an eye)
- ‘Nze pò tenê lu varèle piene and la mêije‘ mbrijìche. (You can't have a full barrel and a drunk wife)
- Chije te bbattêzze te is cumbare. (Who baptizes you is appears to you)
- It makes good and darken, it hurts and pènsece. (It is good and forget it, it hurts and think about it)
- Mêije, marète and feije coma 'Ddeije gives it to you le peije. (Wife, husband and children like God give them to you take them)
- ‘Nze has little hente shoe and‘ marks it healthy. (You cannot have a greased shoe and a whole lard)
- Chije té li quatrène Fabbreche, chije nne té desêgne. (Who has money makes, who does not make it plans)
- It is trèste chije nen té ninde, but it is' cchijù trèste chije nen té nisciéne. (Those who have nothing are sad, but those who have no one are sadder)
- Miije a magnà poche and stè vicène a lu foche. (Better to eat little and stay near the fire)
- N’ghe cent’anne de speziarèije, 'ndi' mbarate a légge manghe na ricétte. (With a hundred years of spezieria you have not learned to read even a recipe)
- Chije té lu célle 'mmane e' nze le spieme '' nge se aretrove '' cchijé '' nghe '' lla furtene. (Those who have the bird in their hand and do not pluck it no longer find themselves with that luck)
- It is the expense that the 'mbrêse. (It is more the expense than the proceeds)
- Miije death dêntre a la case che nu Marchisciane arréte a la porte. (Better death at home than a Marchigiano behind the door)
- Nen hésce nu spose sénza lète, nen hésce nu morte sénza rète. (A groom does not come out without a fight, a dead person does not come out without a laugh)
- Coma te prepìre lu ijacce te aggìcce. (As you prepare the bed you lie down on it)
- Dova is so much ghille 'nze fà maije ijurne. (Where there are so many roosters there is never a day)
- Miije fins them 'n curène that fins them inside the teane. (Better to keep your clothes in the wind than inside the tub)
- It doesn't make you feel that ‘mmèce de ijè anninze hardà arréte. (Don't act like the rope-maker who, instead of going forward, go back)
- Cunsèije de hélbe, destruziêne de gallène. (Conferences of foxes, destruction of hens)
- Dova se magne 'Ddèije ce accumbagne. (Where we eat God accompanies us)
- Miije l'ove huije che la gallène dumane. (Better the egg today than the hen tomorrow)
- You know 'lu patète che lu sapéte. (The one who suffered them knows more about the problems than the one who only knew them)
- Cuscijìnze e quatrène 'nze sa chije le té. (Conscience and money don't know who has them)
- Dova nen passe lu cold nen passe manghe lu calle. (Where the cold does not enter, the heat does not enter)
- Miije selected that badly accumbagnate. (Better alone than in bad company)
- 'Ncumbagnèije piijò la mêije pére lu frate. (The brother also took his wife in company)
- Daije, daije, daije, the cepelle devente haije. (Give it, give it, give it, the onion becomes garlic)
- Dope li cumbitte hésce defitte. (After the confetti the defects come out)
- Death ze Culérie ‘nze fa‘ more pignate. (Dead uncle Aurelio no longer make pots)
- ‘Ncarèscete ferre cà tinghe n’ache da vênne. (Or iron increases in price because I have a needle to sell)
- From la cocce vé la tégne, from lu péte vé la magagne. (Ringworm comes from the head, ailment comes from the foot)
- After the success of the guàije la case s’arembièsce de cunsèije. (After the trouble has happened, the house is filled with advice)
- Na vodde chêrre lu lébbre and na vodde chêrre lu cacciatêre. (Once the hare runs and once the hunter)
