4 ms·

I think a more difficult Italian one would be "proprio". It's sort of like "proper" but the exact meaning seems difficult to pin down and depends on the context

by umvi 6y ago

I think a more difficult Italian one would be "proprio". It's sort of like "proper" but the exact meaning seems difficult to pin down and depends on the context.

smichel17 6y ago
What are some different contexts it is used in?
- umvi 6y ago
  See sibling comment
perl4ever 6y ago
Given that a lot of ways of using it seem to parallel "own", consider a sentence that is said to use it to mean "proper": "Non è questa la sede propria per parlarne" The original source translated it as "This isn't the proper place to discuss it." You could say this means "This is not the place that belongs to talk about it". That's stilted English, but in my opinion, better than proper or appropriate, it captures the relatedness of "own" with the different senses of something belonging. The word "proper" confuses things because it is spelled more like the Italian word, but functionally it's more specialized. I went and read about this because "proprio" made me think of the English word "proprioception" which was coined in the early 20th century based on the Latin "proprius" meaning "own". And then French "propre" comes to mind.
- umvi 6y ago
  I suppose "own" might cover more of the use cases. But consider: - "adesso" (now) vs. "proprio adesso" (literally right now) - "Proprio così" (precisely) I believe you can also use it like: - "Where are you from?" - "DC" - "DC proprio?" (DC proper?) - "No, technically I'm from a small town in Northern Virginia"
- scoutt 6y ago
  You can also say something like "sei proprio uno stupido" which means "you are actually stupid".
  - toyg 6y ago
    Also "precisely". "Questo è proprio quel che serve" -> "This is precisely what we need"
    - jaclaz 6y ago
      Or - reversed - "non proprio" means more than anything else "not exactly" (meaning something that is similar, almost, but not quite what was expected) BUT "non è proprio il caso" means "absolutely not" or "definitely not". Nuances in languages are tough.
- willyt 6y ago
  Sounds like the concept of 'propriety' in English?

by umvi 6y ago

I think a more difficult Italian one would be "proprio". It's sort of like "proper" but the exact meaning seems difficult to pin down and depends on the context.

smichel17 6y ago

What are some different contexts it is used in?

umvi 6y ago
See sibling comment

perl4ever 6y ago

Given that a lot of ways of using it seem to parallel "own", consider a sentence that is said to use it to mean "proper": "Non è questa la sede propria per parlarne" The original source translated it as "This isn't the proper place to discuss it." You could say this means "This is not the place that belongs to talk about it". That's stilted English, but in my opinion, better than proper or appropriate, it captures the relatedness of "own" with the different senses of something belonging. The word "proper" confuses things because it is spelled more like the Italian word, but functionally it's more specialized. I went and read about this because "proprio" made me think of the English word "proprioception" which was coined in the early 20th century based on the Latin "proprius" meaning "own". And then French "propre" comes to mind.

umvi 6y ago
I suppose "own" might cover more of the use cases. But consider: - "adesso" (now) vs. "proprio adesso" (literally right now) - "Proprio così" (precisely) I believe you can also use it like: - "Where are you from?" - "DC" - "DC proprio?" (DC proper?) - "No, technically I'm from a small town in Northern Virginia"
scoutt 6y ago
You can also say something like "sei proprio uno stupido" which means "you are actually stupid".
- toyg 6y ago
  Also "precisely". "Questo è proprio quel che serve" -> "This is precisely what we need"
  - jaclaz 6y ago
    Or - reversed - "non proprio" means more than anything else "not exactly" (meaning something that is similar, almost, but not quite what was expected) BUT "non è proprio il caso" means "absolutely not" or "definitely not". Nuances in languages are tough.
willyt 6y ago
Sounds like the concept of 'propriety' in English?