Breakdown of A dire il vero, il tacco è consumato.
essere
to be
il tacco
the heel
consumato
worn down
a dire il vero
to tell the truth; actually
Questions & Answers about A dire il vero, il tacco è consumato.
What does a dire il vero mean, and is it a common expression?
It means something like to tell the truth, truth be told, or sometimes actually depending on context.
It is a set expression and sounds natural, though it is a little more polished or formal than everyday casual speech. A very common alternative is a dire la verità, which means the same thing and is often heard more often in conversation.
Examples:
Why is it a dire and not a conjugated verb like dico or dicendo?
Because a dire il vero is an idiomatic expression built with a + infinitive.
In Italian, a + infinitive can appear in set phrases that work like sentence openers:
- A dire il vero = to tell the truth
- A pensarci bene = thinking about it carefully / come to think of it
- A essere sinceri = to be honest
So dire stays in the infinitive because the whole phrase functions as a fixed introductory expression, not as the main verb of the sentence.
Why does it say il vero instead of la verità?