You might have seen the word stangata in multiple Italian news reports this week in relation to soaring energy prices amid the conflict in the Middle East.
But what exactly do Italians mean by stangata?
Stangata (hear it pronounced here) is a fairly common word in spoken Italian and people generally use it to refer to any event that causes – or is expected to cause – damage to one’s personal finances.
Usually, the event is something that couldn’t possibly be foreseen, as in the following cases:
- È arrivata la bolletta del gas stamattina…Dobbiamo pagare 300 euro.
- Oddio, che stangata!
- We got the gas bill this morning…It’s 300 euros.
- Oh God, what a blow!
- Quest’anno, abbiamo pagato 600 euro per i libri scolastici di Matteo.
- Però, che bella stangata!
- This year, we’ve paid a total of 600 euros for Matteo’s textbooks.
- Wow, what a big hit!
Stangata is mostly used as part of an exclamatory remark or reply and it is usually preceded by ‘che’, which is used here as an adjective and is roughly equivalent to the English ‘what a …’. In this context, the most common English translations are ‘blow’ and ‘hit’.
Don’t forget: if you’re planning on using the word this way, it’s vital that you do so according to Italian etiquette, that is with eyes nearly popping out of your head and the most dramatic look of puzzlement painted across your face. Feel free to practice in front of a mirror to master the stangata face.
Naturally, the word can also be used in a less dramatic way:
- Potremmo fare un bel viaggio a fine mese.
- Non penso proprio vista l’ultima stangata delle bollette.
- We could go on a trip at the end of the month.
- I really don’t think so given the latest increase in energy bills.
Now that you broadly know how to use the word, you might be wondering where it comes from.
Stangata comes from stanga, which is a largely disused word indicating the wooden board (or pole) people once used to shut their front door or windows from inside the house.
Following a very common Italian linguistic pattern – just think of 'bastone' and 'bastonata' – stangata literally means ‘a blow dealt with a wooden board’.
It’s pretty clear why the word is used to refer to substantial financial damage – getting hit with a stanga is as painful as losing a big lump of money.
Some Italians might use the word salasso instead of stangata. Just like stangata, salasso refers to any type of financial blow, though its original meaning is quite different as it refers to the ancient (and, luckily, now-defunct) medical practice known as ‘bloodletting’.
- L’abbonamento mensile per il trasporto pubblico è salito a 150 euro.
- Ammazza, che salasso. Non è accettabile.
- The monthly public transport pass has gone up to 150 euros.
- Ouch, what a blow. That’s unacceptable.
Do you have an Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
Don't miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day by downloading our app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
Comments