Italian HAND GESTURES Explained đ€ | Decoding Italian "Sign Language"
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 3. 09. 2022
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Italians tend to talk with their hands a lot, but their gestures are a little bit more meaningful than simple emphasis. There's a whole, coded language in those hand signs!
Today, Eva is challenging me to guess what a few of them mean, before explaining the truth so that you all can "speak" Italian gestures for yourselves. Let us know which of these Italian gestures you were able to translate without Eva's help!
If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs-up and subscribe to the channel!
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#đ€ #handgestures #italian
Also, there is an English equivalent for "you can't digest a person." There is, "I can't stomach that person."
In fact in italy existing "mi stai sullo stomaco" you are on my stomach. And the gesture is with the hand on the stomach
Ohhhh, that's so true. I hadn't thought of that. These expressions seem so normal until you think about them... đ
In Argentinean Spanish also... "No me lo paso", "no me lo trago" (I can't digest him)...
We also do a lot of the Italian gestures
Along the lines of "you make me sick!"
Come one ...honestly...the most used is "mi stai sul c...o!". đđđ
A joke for you. What do you call it, when an Italian has an injured hand? A speech impediment. Love both of you. Your channel is awesome. Makes this crazy world a lot more tolerable.
Does that make a blind Italian mute?
đ that's great!! Thanks for that joke â€
When I see a non-Italian person repeating the Italian gestures it is very strange as I seem to almost notice the foreign "accent". The gestures we actually make are very precise and natural, so deeply ingrained that it seems impossible that other people don't understand them.
The gesture to say thank you (perhaps it is more a "thank you very much") is to keep the hands clasped near the chin, lowering the head a little towards the hands. Similar to a slight Japanese bow done only with the head.
the gesture you describe is indeed a "thank you" and it is indeed used in today italy (and in the whole world i think), but its origin is not italian it is indian
That's not true, hahaha! Nice try though.
@@BronzeTheSling Why wouldn't that be true?
Not all people tell lies.
I'm not one to talk about talking snakes and forbidden apples.
The praying/clasped hands + lowered eyes & forehead is a near-universal gesture of thank you.
I certainly think it's a much older sign than any Italian origin would allow. India would make more sense, as Vedic culture is literally millennia older than Italian culture, but I suspect it's similar to a hand wave & is older than we could trace.
Same thing with ASL. I was born and raised in the Deep South, but i sign with a Boston âaccent â my teacher learned ASL in Boston
The ''are you scared'' gesture is refering to butt, like being so scared that you're squeezing your butt in fearđ and i think it's beautiful! đđ€â€
That same gesture (with that same meaning) is used in MĂ©xico
Yes, in Colombia itâs referred as âculilloâ⊠same hand gesture⊠I guess that it is what linguists call the common foundation of romantic languages!
This subject deserves Part II.
My Italian American in laws were famous for the hand gestures⊠I loved every second of this video. The last hand gesture sent me over the top laughing đ very fond memories of my late husband & father in law doing them đ„°
Forget the glasses, Harper this episode is the BEST hair I've ever seen you have. You should keep this hairstyle for a while. It brings out your features really well. Seriously, I was shocked by how good that hair looked and how it just elevated the whole look
Also wire frames đ
Thanks!
@@PastaGrammar I AGREE about Your Hair, Harper, but I like the Dark Glasses better đ
Yes, finally gets kudos for his good hair too! Lol!
Today, Evaâs not the only one with great hair. Bravo Harper!
@@PastaGrammar Yeah, I noticed that too - your hair looks natural for you in this video. Leave it this way. Those undercut styles are ugly on everyone. And between the glasses, the wire frames suit you more, secondo me.
There's a small difference between the two gestures @10:15 "al bacio" is an assessment based only on quality. "Perfect" as in "the best". The second gesture means "perfect" as in "completed, there's nothing left to do to improve it". So Harper is correct, there's an idea of finality.
The second gesture is also often used in a sarcastic way, with a meaning of "I told you so", or "I told you not to do something and now you did it - and things turned out exactly how I predicted".
I agree! I think Harper was correct with "The Best" along with a few others âšđ
Thank You for taking time for posting great content!
In Monfalcone, it is followed by a verbal "Tac" just to drive home the point
@@pjg6019 Not to be confused with 'Taac', that has a different meaning: czcams.com/video/2aDXVx0_yH4/video.html
You made me laugh until I cried! What a FUN video, you guys! It was such a joy to see the two of "talking" and laughing together! Would love to see more of these types of vids sprinkled in with your cooking ones. It helps bring Italy even closer - especially for those who might not ever have a chance to experience Italy first hand (no pun intended!)đâ€ïž
yes please!
Oh man the gesture for "no more"... đđđđ. I saw that for the first time on an Alitalia flight when my mom asked the steward for another glass of wine and he made that gesture with a little whistle. So awesome. My mom, being Italian herself, had never seen that gesture before. Needless to say she adopted it immediately. I have as well! â€ïžâ€ïžâ€ïž
A bit strange that your mother, being Italian, did not know that gesture. All Italians in the world know that gesture. Obviously, I am also an Italian. ;)
@@aris1956 i am guessing his mom is American.
@@WinstonSmithGPT or maybe italian americans are not italian đź
@@cosettapessa6417 They are of italian descent (their ascendents were Italians and they are Americans)
@@giorgiodifrancesco4590 your ancestors mean shit. This is American culture that no one else shares. You are American not something else
The "made for each other" sign can also be used to refer to a couple in love, or a group of people that are plotting against someone
Thank you for this information. There's an idiom in English "in bed together" that means "conspiring with" or "complicit in the same crime." Obviously not only in English.
@@5plic3r wow I didn't know that, thanks
I see that you kept the gestures G rated. I grew up in a neighborhood that had a lot of Italians from the old country. I learned all the best hand gestures đ
I loved her face when he doubled the last gesture and she informed him they would talk later đ
The one you missed was the rotating hand when something is delicious. Itâs hilarious when you get a few Italians together and they taste something and they all start rotating! đđšâ€ïž. Love it!
Maybe you mean the finger that turns on the cheek. :)
But there would still be many more. We Italians have a full âvocabularyâ ! đ
@@aris1956 I think he means "tanta roba"
@@aris1956 no. The fork spinning.
Yes I noticed Ava doesnât the fork rotation often. â€
The first one is not only about eating. It's also related to someone who's so naive that could believe whatever they hear. Like: I told him I met a famous footballer and he took it for real! Usually accompanied by a prolonged 'aaahh' when you open your mouth for the gesture đ
Great episode guys, soooo funny!
Eva, please tell Harper to keep the hand straight and firm when he does the 'go away', even if his way was hilarious đ€Ł
Dear friends from other counties, be aware of the hand gesture at 17:44 if you're in Italy. If you point your fingers down, you're making a gesture to keep away bad luck, but if you're pointing your fingers UP and you're showing your hand to someone, you're basically saying that his/her partner is cheating him/her.
Yes! I commented about that gesture in an earlier Pasta Grammar video (can't remember which one). It means the person's been cuckolded, or "had the horns put on him (or her)." It's the same gesture in Hispanic countries, with exactly the same horn imagery and explanation.
This is extremely useful information. I worked at IBM and visited the Rome office many times. After several conversations with my Roman friends it became clear that the safest thing to do was to keep my hands in my pockets at all times, and even that made me slightly nervous. The "due spaghi" gesture, or I should say _alleged_ gesture, was the only one I felt safe doing, and I'm not 100% sure I believe it.
Michael, But keeping your hands in your pockets can mean that youâre playing with yourself. Same with keeping your hands off the table when dining.
I SWEAR IT'S TRUE. Famose du spaghi.
So many more come to mind! Here are to very theatrical: biting the knuckle of the right hand, closed or opened, means anger, or rather frustration because it is not possible to express anger. While shaking back and forth the right hand close to the side of the face means "I'm going to beat you up!", Like Arrgh Harper, *bites knuckle* you didn't wash dishes! You know what's going to happen if you don't *while shaking my hand close to my cheek*
Thick chunky glasses, and I like Harper's longer fluffier hair.
Edited to add that I loved this hand sign lesson! I only knew a couple of obvious ones, but I feel glad that I knew the last one. I feel like there's a ruder gesture that I learned from my Italian-American friends growing up that involves one hand slapping inside the elbow and the other hand rising in response. I think I know what that one means, and I get why you didn't feature it.
becouse it's "volgare", like a bad word
As someone who grew in a small town in Argentina We inherited most of the meaning of the hand gestures because here we had a lot of Italian immigration in the 1800 and 1900s so I can see now where all this hand gesture comes from â€
Here around Chicago, we used to have another Italian gesture back in the 1920's: the sign of the Tommy gun. We became so well-known for Al Capone's shenanigans and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre that mimicking a Tommy gun was how you would tell non-English speakers in Europe that you were from near Chicago. That reference has now passed, though.
đđđ Eva ha spiegato perfettamente. Veramente noi potremmo comunicare con i gesti senza parlare e a me sembra pure strano che per gli altri non siano comprensibili đ
đđ€đ»đđđđđ€đâđđđ€đ€đŹ
đđ
Non proprio, spesso alcuni gesti cambiano di significato in base a dove ti trovi in Italia...
@@ManubibiWalsh si puĂČ essere, ma come vengono usati, nel contesto in cui vengono usati, riusciamo a capirci a dargli il giusto senso
io invece non capisco mai i gesti e, quando parlo e gesticolo, noto che la gente mi fissa le mani. Ergo sicuramente gesticolo in modo non adeguato. Con mio figlio abbiamo provato a rifare i gesti di questo video e anche lui non sembra molto portato :D D'ora in poi mani giĂč!
The quagliata gesture which is probably a southern Italy explanation is more easily explained as Harper was saying "Stringi" which means "Tighten/Clench" in this case as in make the speech tighter, stringi il discorso, squeeze it down into not 5 hours but 5 minutes
Fellini? I love how Harper shoehorns Italian references into conversation and how Eva sees right through it.
He was speaking blasphemy. He should have been very afraid. :)
In the East and Southeast of Austria some of this gestures are also pretty common. Maybe not THAT expressiv but well known!
Iâm actually not surprised because Innsbruck is fairly close to Italy so I can see gestures spilling over.
You two should be a reality show! thanks for the lessons and LAUGHS !
Agreed ..the chemistry is wonderful to watch
I love it!! â€ïž I've been married to an Italian woman for 39 years. No matter how much you learn, you'll still be clueless!!! Eva will also tell you that different regions have different gestures as well. Enjoy the trip Harper!!
I love this, I love this, I love this! Maybe now my non-Italian friends well have a better understanding of what Iâm saying. I once had someone tell me that I probably wouldnât be able to communicate if my hands were tied behind my back. Lol...
The nuns at my first American school told me if I didn't stop waving my hands around they'd do the same. It didn't work. Even now, decades later, if we're out to dinner or something and the conversation becomes impassioned, someone always moves the glasses out of my way. :)
HARPER DARK GLASSES LOOK
LIKE THE BOMB! Must keepđđ»đđđ
Why was this a competition? Eva already knew the answers! You guys crack me up. đ My Barese grandmother always said the Calabrese were stubborn! (she was pretty stubborn too, btw). Ciao! †đźđč
Is it ever truly a competition though? Eva always wins.
My Calabrese wife definitely fits the Calabrian testa dura.
I married someone who is mostly Calabrese. I assure you it's absolutely true. Once he has an idea fixed in his mind he'll die before changing it.
These two are real comedians ! I laughed so hard . I adore you both !
One gesture I saw a lot in Sicily and Southern Italy is where they pushed their index finger into a cheek and twisted their hand. I asked a friend about it and they told me it meant something was tasty or delicious, but could also be used in reference to a pretty girl or handsome man by members of the opposite sex.
And you would use that with kids, like to say "it's yummy"
it's for Kids! that's the gesture parents do to make their little kids eat đ we don't really use it among adults
Right said!đđ
I actually learned that one pretty early on and I use it all the time with Mamma Rosa when she serves me something particularly delicious!
My Grandfather, who is from Gremento Nova, used to do that after he tasted something that my Nani would cook.
As a Greek I can honestly relate to speaking with our hands and having so many gestures express what we want to say and how we feel.
Ahahahahahah questo video Ăš fantastico!
Ho riso davvero tanto, bravi. Eva ha spiegato molto bene. â€ïž
In Milan when you can't digest something or someone you make the hand gesture directly on your stomach, but with tumb forward and the fingers pointing downwards, usually adding "El me stĂ in sul stomig'". Which reminds me of La linea by Osvaldo Cavandoli. czcams.com/video/BuoXuXROH6I/video.html Also, Harper the fear gesture is literally a butthole squeezing. U_U
Oh wow, Eva was too polite to explain that but it makes sense đ
We actually do have the expression (not the gesture) in English, but it's rarely used now. It's "I can't stomach him." It's been kind of replaced by "I can't take him," with "take" in the sense of swallowing, as in taking a pill.
To be fair, the butthole squeezing would be hard to seeâŠ.đ
They have the same gesture in Mexico.
@@ivyc4415 really? I wonder if my family just doesn't use it. Thanks!
In Florence/Tuscany, you take the tip of your thumb and drag it vertically down your cheek, it means "delicious".
What an interesting video. What I wished you had mentioned a little bit more about why Italians developed these wonderful hand gestures.
I lived as a permanent resident of Piemonte for many years about half way between Turin and Genoa. In my small village most people over 30 years old spoke fluent dialetto Piemontese in preference to Italian and to my amazement a few very old residents were unable to speak Italian at all. That made it quite difficult for me to learn the Italian language since every day communication was carried on in dialetto Piemontese which is not an officially recognized language per se, but is so different from Italian that it might as well be.
As you well know, Italy has historically been divided into various regions isolated by mountain ranges, rivers, and other natural boundaries. These areas might be a kingdom, duchy, or even an independent country with plenty of shifting of boundaries over time because of wars and changing of the political landscape. No wonder various languages and dialects evolved especially since Italy was not a unified, independent country until 1871, many years after various separate parts of modern Italy had already established themselves as powerful forces in the world order. For instance, Christopher Columbus is largely credited with being Italian, something every American school child used to learn. But he was actually from the Republic of Genoa, a self governing state with it's own powerful navy which lasted until the 19th century.
It was explained to me that hand gestures conveying commonly used meanings were developed as a way of communicating with people from other regions. In Genoa, for example, they speak Genoese or "zeniese", the main Ligurian dialect. Years ago a man from Genoa who was adventurous enough to load his donkey with preserved anchovies and make the long trek up the mountains to the Monferrato area where I lived would find himself essentially in a foreign land, at least as far as the language was concerned. But by using commonly understood hand gestures and perhaps a few similar words could make himself understood and sell his fish.
I recognized all of the gestures you featured but I found a couple of places in your video where the hand gestures in Calabrese were a bit different to that of the Monferrato/Piemonte region where I lived. At 10:00 the "perfect" sign is performed noticeably slower up North; drawn out so to speak.
Another thing I found interesting was at 11:00 the "ho fame" or "mangiamo" sign was made by my friends with the hand held the other way. That is to say, with the palm down and the thumb touching the side of your waist rather than your little finger touching the waist as you demonstrated. Apparently there are regional variations even to the "universal sign language of Italy".
Finally, at 21:40 the "together" sign you demonstrated relating to two ingredients going together in a recipe also has a sexual context, at least up in Piemonte. For instance I might say to my friend, "I saw Pinuccio talking with Teresita yesterday". The other person, (without saying anything) would give me the "together sign" meaning they were having illicit sexual relations. Usually there was a bit of eye rolling involved and often a wry smile. The meaning was clear even to an American like me.
YES! Great dissection of it all and the last tidbit. Means they are together / getting together as well as they go together (like PB and J)
@@rosannarm There really isn't any one way. It's a feeling.
@@deniseg812 exactly
Brilliantly put together,thanks. Did you like the Italian regional food?
I was thinking that is why they use sign language. The American Indians did the same thing as the various tribes were not the same people and spoke different languages.
Good episode. I LOVE THIS. My father, my grandparents, my ex husband all from the South in Italy. My in laws lived there not here. No one was Americanized. lol I miss all of this. You feel a huge void when you had a certain way of life and then it goes away instantly because of death. And I miss hearing the language, seeing the gestures, eating the food my mom, dad, grandparents made daily. and in one shot gone. So with that said, knowing what i know, these gestures apply to more than just food. And they all have contextual nuances. In general. The going away gesture is also like 'time to go' like my uncle would do it at a get together to his family, meaning time to go. The Do you want to eat gesture also means I'm hungry, Let's go eat, I want to eat when making them (My Italian ex husband from Italy used to do this). You can put your one hand and sort of grab like a big pinch both sides of your throat means like I'm sick (annoyed) that something is like in my throat. then there is the 2 hands gesture pulled apart in the pistol form - meaning a culo this big - like they think they are some big shot. The There is NO more is also you are S. out of luck or Not happening kind of thing. Then there is the pulled eye, the finger in the cheek or the thumb dragged across the cheek (furbo) not to mention in addition to the it's so good index finger in the dimple, the fork, motion you always do and you can also do like a pinch of your own cheek to signify so good. The gesture 26;08 - my father used it all the time to signify that 'that is it' final point, that is the way it is or will be, his dictate kind of thing or at the other extreme, that something is perfect, like done well. I want to add my father was in a coma in 2017. He got very ill RIGHT after my mom passed away (from septic shock). He had had a routine procedure one day and it sent him INTO septic shock. We had to make the decision to put him on a vent etc. It was a long year of vent, hospitals, up and downs. The first time he came out of the coma but was still technically sleeping, we were talking to him. His eyes closed. He was restrained to the bed. We wouldn't tell him WHAT or WHY he was there because we didn't want to make him more afraid. All of a sudden he makes the motion the TYPICAL most famous motion we all know (again with his wrists restrained) of what? why? che cazz? I asked him Do you want to know why you are here? he gestured no. I kept asking questions till he indicated yes. He wanted to know WHY I WAS THERE (not working) because he had no clue what was going on. IN A COMA THIS ITALIAN MAN FOUND A WAY TO COMMUNICATE without voice, without being awake, without writing!!! i memorialized it as a memory that day on FB and it pops up now every year. I was just thinking how i Wish i would have told him about that before he passed. Like some of the things he did and we went through that I forgot to tell him about and that was one key thing that will NEVER LEAVE ME. IT IS SO important and valuable that you share these things for people who might only have a vague memory and not understand the whats and whys. You guys just keep nailing it! â€â€
An ex-partner of mine is Italian (from Venice), and well, I'm not exactly the most easy-going person in the world. So, every now and then, she'd get frustrated with me and to vent she'd start talking to me at 900mph in Italian; her hands would be flying all around in front of her. So one day I grabbed her hands in mid-air and stopped them; lmao! As soon as I let go of her hands they started flying around again, but this time when she was talking I could hear her saying my name every 10 words or so! I thought she was so adorable - I'm sure what she was saying about me in Italian was how simply adorable I am as well! đ
LOL! That copium. Tis is a funny story
đ I know exactly what you mean. Our couch can feel like there's an earthquake if Eva starts talking to the TV while we're watching a movie
Nkrhing for me. I will not be able handle italian witch like this at home.
@@PastaGrammar Looool!! đđ
It's like you covered her mouth with your hand in mid-sentence.
Harper, 100% the dark celluloid frames are superior.
I love the energy in this video. It's nice to see you having fun together, just talking. Thanks for all the great content you create. This channel gets better all the time!
I can remember when I was younger. We had a neighbor and my mother would say âyou canât tell him anythingâ Heâs Calabrese!
This last one has to be told: the slightly open right hand, close to the ear, rotating forward a couple of times. Means "tune in" like make the effort to understand or now we understand each other. Capisci ammé!
This is the funniest thing Iâve seen on Italian hand gestures. I laughed so hard. You guys are too funny. Harper, you are comedic genius.
When I read what this was about, I got excited because my best friend, hunting and fishing pard, and partner in crime, was once married to an Italian woman. And Scott said whenever they argued, she would make a certain hand gesture, and say two words. I really didn't think it would show up, but there it was, @
12:33. What she said was, "Pasta vazule". I looked it up and the closest I got was "fagiole", "white beans" đ What say you?
Wonderful, wonderful show. Perfecto! (I'm making THAT gesture now)
That's funny. I was adopted and my heritage is from the Mediterranean and I unconsciously use hand gestures alot. I have noticed people staring at my hands like what are you doing?
I love how Harper becomes fluent in hand gestures at the end and puts together his own unique sentences with them! So funny! great video! thanks for sharing!
My Sicilian grandma used to bite down on her index finger whenever she got frustrated, usually with me and her other grandchildren. lol It was usually followed by "va fanabla" and then she would laugh. She was an amazing woman. miss her so much.
Yes, it's an old gesture less used today. It's a way to say: if I don't hold my hand (biting it), I will use it to beat you.
Okay, I think the first two gestures kinda threw me off too, because I seldom saw them where I live (I'm a northerner from Turin, Piedmont). đ
As for some of the other signs:
- The second "perfect" hand gesture may also be done with both hands simultaneously, if one **really** feels that perfection.
- I've always seen the "I'm/you're hungry" sign being done with the palm facing downwards, while the "I can't stand this guy" one (the "can't digest" Eva kept talking about) has always been the hand tapping like in the "hungry" gesture, but placed vertically in the middle of the chest (idk if it makes sense), with the fingers towards the stomach.
- The "cut it out" gesture is something used in my zone also between middle and high school students, when they want to secretly communicate to their friends about their own intention of skipping school for that day. One of the slang terms to say "(to) skip school" is "tagliare" (lit.: to cut), hence the cutting gesture, done in the same fashion as "cut it out".
- Admittedly, the "full of people" gesture threw me off for a second. I'm used to see it done pretty much in reverse, with the fingers opening up instead of being pinched together.
- The "capa tosta" gesture could be translated as "knucklehead", seems to be more fitting. đ Sometimes I've also seen people knocking the side of their own head instead of the open palm to express the same "you're such a knucklhead!" thought.
Yeiiiihhhhh! Finally some italian classes. Grazie mille! Please keep them coming along with the wonderful cooking classes ;) BTW I was cracking up ALL the time during this video đ€Łđđ€Łđđ€Ł
When I was in the Navy, I use to indoctrinate new folks on Italian culture, the hand gestures are many and very interesting. Thanks for teaching me some new ones. The "What do you want" hand gesture I was taught was more like a "what are you doing" or "what do you want from me" and was usually associated with a verbal, don't know how to spell it but it sounds like; "WHY YOU." Which would be said 2 or 3 time to emphasize the confusion.
The single hand gesture can mean, what, when, where, why, who, which etc. Depends on the argument. The double hand gesture, for those that didn't get it, means simply WTF.....
So funny. The words you mean may be "guagliĂč!" (goo-al-you), wich is "guy!/you guy!" in neapolitan language (I'm italian but not from Naples). Usually associating words with the gesture is not mandatory, but from what I know is widely spread saying something similar to that: "AĂČ!" (uh-o), wich means "hey". Expressing like that is quite rude, the rude way for the gesture let's say.
The last one can also mean: "ma che stai a dĂŹ?", meaning: "what the heck are you talking about?"
Exactly
The gesture for something related to the past is also the Italian Certified "Se vabbĂš..."âą gesture
Actually the last gesture has different meanings besides that. Expresses doubt, that is when an Italian has a doubt. It can be used as: "What do you want from me?", "What are you doing?", "What does he-she say?" ... it can be used in different ways.
As a Sicilian Canadian I grew up with all the hand gestures! đ€Łđ€Łđ„°
It reminds me somewhat of American Sign Language. (ASL). Thereâs always a facial expression to go with the gesture. Iâm super curious about Mama Rosaâs reaction. Loved this video. đ
6:39 that gesture precisely mean GTF out of here, in a not friendly way (in fact Harper clarify that it's not for Mamma Rosa)
With the stereotypycal hand gesture you have to be aware that can mean an harsh 'what do you want?' but also can mean 'what the fuck you want?'. I assure you that you can start a fight doing that at the wrong person. In my opinion it's so famous even in the US because a lot of tourist stare at an italian that they don't know.
Usually I translate the đ€đ» gesture as a wtf, where the "w" can be ANY wh- question: what tf, where tf, who tf, why tf, when tf, I would also add how tf.
Then, by extension, it can also be used for any rhetorical question: you could use it for example in "can you believe it?" bc your hand gesture in the meantime is adding "how tf is that possible?"
And so on. Basically you would be adding a second question to underline your own surprise
yes that is another situation for the gesture...
I like the brown chunky frames. They look good plus I find that style is much easier on the bridge of your nose.
I am noticing the similarities between ASL, and the Italian signâŠ. The sign to send away evil spirits, in ASL is to ridicule. The sign for all gone, but all the fingers out and flip it the other way, means finish. The One that means going together, in ASL means âŠ.Same, like those two things are the same. If you start it with boy then same thatâs brother. Girl then same means sister. âŠ.
That's interesting! In the Italian sign language all those gesture (and many more everyone use everyday) have the same meaning. A dear friend of mine is deaf and this fact helps a lot
The thicker frames suit you better Harper, I feel like the wire ones are somehow aging you.
Eva, you forgot to mention the mitic "BOH". Not an hand gesture but with an enormous usefullness
I was stationed near Brindisi long ago so I had seen some of these, but I think I had the same score as Harper on your quiz. My wife has one question though -- is there any significance to the single line tatto on Eva's finger? I say it is a mark to measure one portion of spaghetti, but she thinks I'm crazy! She even used her new found hand gesture to tell me so...
đ I like the spaghetti theory! Eva has a couple lines like that, they're just reminders of particularly important milestones in her life. One of them is our marriage, I'm happy to say lol
What a great idea. That was super entertaining! You both are amazing.đ
Loved this video! Lots of surprises, and I laughed out loud throughout. I like your new glasses, Harper!
This video was GREAT! I feel like a kid again around my family! (Btw Iâm 65) I only have one friend and a cousin left that can have a âhand gestureâ conversation! They live in New York and Iâm in Florida. Thanks for letting me relive so many wonderful memoriesâŁïž
Love seeing Eva laugh and have fun! đ And Harper, I like the darker glasses better. đ€ No wire! đ€đ»đ This was fun, thank you!
This was fun! I love learning languages! And I always enjoy learning the food aspects of the Italian language on this channel, like how I've learned many Italian words with my Art History classes from college đ . I'd love to learn more Italian from you guys!
A superb video, I guess stuffing my hands in my pockets might be the safest option.
17:14 Favourite moment. Trying to make "I'm scared" work and deciding that it does NOT
What a delight you two are! This was so fun!
This video was so enjoyable. You guys are so cute together! Being Italian myself i knew a few of them but i learned more. Thank you
This is such a great video! All your vids are entertaining but this one made me laugh out loud several times. Thanks so much for the grand tour of gestures and body language and social interactions. Love it!
17:43 fun fact: the heavy metal gesture comes from that thanks to Ronnie James Dio and his italian grandmother
Exactly!
Yes, the warding off the "evil eye"
This was fun to watch. It reminds me of when my mother tried to teach us Polish when we were children. We tried stringing words, phrases, and a few gestures together in an attempt to form sentences. But as we got older, we started coming up with completely ridiculous things that nobody would actually say, and tried to tack on English suffixes to turn Polish nouns into adjectives or adverbs. My mother quickly gave up on the idea.
As an Italian, watching this was super fun đđđ loved it !
I lived in Calabria for a year (I learned Italian there) and this was so much fun to watch! I LOVE the South! â€ïž Thank you for sharing this with the world!
8:15 the tapping of the head that means, "You're crazy," reminds me of how some English speakers use the same gesture to say the person is "touched in the head," I.E. crazy.
You mean here 7:59 (here 8:15 it has already passed).
You had me laughing I was so wrong on so many of the gestures. Watching Eva face as she did some lead me down a different understanding until she explained it. Then it made more sense. This gesture remind me of handgrenades handle the correctly ok but do them wrong and you could very well find you in a extremely toxic situation, so the warning us if not sure don't use them or you may get some bad reaction you don't want.
These videos are deeply needed and I'm glad Eva is making them as the diaspora of our culture is very strong and it needs to be corrected. Glad you got them now.
Ehi are you looking at me funny? What do you want? đ€
In Argentina we have many of the same gestures and we use our hands a lot when we speak too, because a big part of the population (like myself) has italian origins.
Ciao fratello!đđ
@@riccardodotto84 Ciao! I miei nonni venivano da Pescara, da un paese chiamato Collecorvino, negli anni '20
@@TWANDTW io sono nato e vivo in Friuli,nordest vicino a Austria e Slovenia..un salutone a te e a tutti gli italiani d"Argentina!đ
The hand sign on the stomach is also done, probably divided by north south, also in the chest, as a horizontal open hand doing two bumps to the center of the chest and is usually preceded by "That guy to me is a" "Quello a me mi sta sui -"
Also the chin gesture is also usually done as two quick gestures instead of one long one, meaning "who cares" and is usually more friendly than the long one
Ehi did you hear about Sara she got a new bycicle
"who cares"
Eva's hair is amazing.
The beauty of all this is that we Italians, even without speaking, are able to communicate without problems.
Obviously, hand gestures must also always be accompanied with a relative facial expression.
thus the old joke about to stop an Itslian from talking, ties his hands behind his back
@@ZakhadWOW It is difficult for us Italians to speak with our hands tied behind our backs ! đ
However, joking aside, gesturing with your hands while speaking is also a question of temperament, of passion that distinguishes us Italians. A person who speaks without lifting a finger, without making any gesture with his hands, is a bit like a robot.
@@aris1956 I cartainly came back from my 4 years stationed in Napoli with the habit of gesticulating everywhere and being very emphatic about everything.. It definitely rubbed off on me.
@@ZakhadWOW There's too much truth to that. Something I never noticed until an American friend pointed out was all the Italians talking on cell phones, one hand holding the phone, the other gesticulating wildly. Clearly, those using Bluetooth were at an advantage.
I'm American of mainly British Isles descent and I talk with my hands to this extent. I even use some of the same gestures with the same meanings. Maybe in a past life...
I always figured in my mind that the gesture of rotating the fist with thumb and forefinger up (to Say "it's gone, it's out") simulated the shaking of a box that makes no noise because it is empty... Isn't It?
Eva's hair is MAGNIFICENT like a lion's mane...fabulous ! Loved this video , I love all things Italian. Sono Italiano dentro â€
I can't talk without you hands
One friend who noticed this would grab my hands try to hold them and I couldn't talk He wasn't being mean...he found it ? Funny?
I still need to gesturelate with my hands or just only and not talk or just one world.the NY Brooklyn Ey..with hand movements I broke an arm once couldn't move it Dr's orders
and it was depressing to express my self I couldn't. Hahaha
The "fear" sign is also used in Mexico. It means your rectum is clenching. We also use the sign for "many people" but with closed fingers, without opening and closing.
It has the same meaning in Italy. When you're afraid some parts of your body respond in a strange way.đ
How about an Italian vocab lesson of all the items, utensils, etc. Actually I would like Eva to use both English and Italian while she shows us her marvelous cooking skills. Love your videos!
The body language is not so specialised. It's mean to be used for daily, conceptual, stereotypical things. You can't really easily describe any items with just your hands LOL Ciao from Verona
Thankyou for making this video! It made me laugh out loud. I love your cooking videos too and made your cacio e pepe the other day and it was an absolute revelation! I love the way you combine travel, family, culture and fun.
Falling in love with both of you and your content đđ
Being 100% Italian and growing up with a large Italian family, what you showed today is an everyday occurrence in my home! I love my Italian heritage, thank you for sharing some of our secrets!
Thank you Eva for the great lesson! đđ»âš
Only knew a few as an Italian American growing up, happy to know these so I donât insult anyone and learned some new gestures to practice being more ItalianđŻ
I'm glad you're rekindling with the motherland as unfortunately we've lost touch with our italian-american brothers. Maybe if there were more direct contacts like this we could spread the actual culture in the diaspora and reunite you guys with us. As every other country should as well with any country-american. Ciao!
@@Galexlol so true!! Thanks to channels like this we can begin to.đ
@@thespiritualadvocate Ti voglio bene! :)
Another enjoyable video. Thanks for a smile this morning.
Canât believe I have seen most of these. There are so many. Glad to learn! đđŒ
Harper and Eva have a wonderful Labor Day! đșđžđđźđč from SW Florida Ciao, Al đ
As someone from the other end of the Mediterranean, I think it would be funny to have an episode where gestures are compared to see their commonalities and differences. Hand gestures, eyebrow raises and sneers at 10 paces!
What? Do you want to start an International Incident? People born near the Med are very hot-blooded lol.
I think that's a brilliant idea!
Definitely the chunky, brown glasses Harper!
I am a 55 year old Italian/Sicilian American. A few I knew others I didn't. Many of the older people who are all gone now use to use them . I still do in some form or another .
siamo una nazione da 5 minuti ma esistiamo da millenni. ogni 10km c'Ăš un dialetto differente che si trasforma in una lingua straniera se ci si allontana di piĂč da dove viviamo. questi gesti non sono un vezzo ma un vero e proprio modo per capirci. prima della lingua italiana ufficiale dovevi parlare con le mani. siamo italiani e questo Ăš bellissimo.
ps. se gli altri non ci capiscono AMEN..... peggio per loro đ
Ci vorrebbe 'sto orgoglio sempre, anche quando ci facciamo autocritica pesante.
Non avevo mai riflettuto sull'origine dei gesti. Devo ammettere che questa sembra una spiegazione piĂč che plausibile.
@@roccosfondo8748 mica me la sono inventata đ
@@giorgiobattaglini3654 se fosse cosĂŹ tanto di cappello. A questo punto mi sento di chiedere chi sia l'autore.
@@roccosfondo8748 sinceramente non posso ricordarlo...ricordo di averlo letto in vari testi molti anni fa ed Ăš diventata una notizia "mia"
The last one is also "what are you saying/doing?!??"
This was great! I totally enjoyed the grammar lesson!