Italian expression of the day: 'Fallo e basta'
Struggling to get going? This is the motivating Italian phrase you need.
Sometimes we all need a little extra motivation. Luckily, Italian has a phrase to help with that - and it’s a pretty satisfying one to say.
You might wish your friends or family members would stop the endless discussion over the best way to do something and just get on with the job. Or maybe you’re the one who’s had a leisurely lunch and can’t face whatever task awaits. In laid-back Italy, there are likely to be plenty of such moments.
So whenever you want to make clear that it’s time for less talk and more action, we recommend a hearty fallo e basta.
This expression literally means “do it and enough”, and it’s used much like the English “just do it”.
Pensi troppo, fallo e basta.
You think too much, just get it done.
Smettila di agitarti, fallo e basta.
Stop stressing, just do it.
In this case, fallo is an imperative form of the verb fare (to do), and not the noun meaning a foul (as in football). It also shouldn’t be confused with the verb form farlo, which has a slightly different meaning and is usually used when giving someone permission to do something. See a detailed explanation (in Italian) here.
And of course, you can use the word basta alone or as part of other phrases when you’ve simply had enough.
Ora basta!
Enough already!
Lo farò, punto e basta.
I'm doing it, and that's that.
See our complete Word of the Day archive here.
Do you have a favourite Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
See Also
Sometimes we all need a little extra motivation. Luckily, Italian has a phrase to help with that - and it’s a pretty satisfying one to say.
You might wish your friends or family members would stop the endless discussion over the best way to do something and just get on with the job. Or maybe you’re the one who’s had a leisurely lunch and can’t face whatever task awaits. In laid-back Italy, there are likely to be plenty of such moments.
So whenever you want to make clear that it’s time for less talk and more action, we recommend a hearty fallo e basta.
This expression literally means “do it and enough”, and it’s used much like the English “just do it”.
Pensi troppo, fallo e basta.
You think too much, just get it done.
Smettila di agitarti, fallo e basta.
Stop stressing, just do it.
In this case, fallo is an imperative form of the verb fare (to do), and not the noun meaning a foul (as in football). It also shouldn’t be confused with the verb form farlo, which has a slightly different meaning and is usually used when giving someone permission to do something. See a detailed explanation (in Italian) here.
And of course, you can use the word basta alone or as part of other phrases when you’ve simply had enough.
Ora basta!
Enough already!
Lo farò, punto e basta.
I'm doing it, and that's that.
See our complete Word of the Day archive here.
Do you have a favourite Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
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