Per cortesia, non prendere in giro tuo cugino.

Please, don't make fun of your cousin.

Breakdown of Per cortesia, non prendere in giro tuo cugino.

• non: not
• tuo: your
• il cugino: the cousin
• per cortesia: please
• prendere in giro: to make fun of

Questions & Answers about Per cortesia, non prendere in giro tuo cugino.

Why is it non prendere and not non prendi?

In Italian, the negative imperative for tu uses non + infinitive. So:

• tu: Non prendere (don’t take/tease)
• voi: Non prendete
• Lei (formal): Non prenda
• noi: Non prendiamo

Affirmative imperative for tu would be prendi (e.g., Prendi!), but in the negative it switches to the infinitive: Non prendere!

What does prendere in giro literally mean, and how is it used?

Literally it’s “to take around,” but it’s an idiom meaning “to make fun of,” “to tease,” or “to kid.” It takes a direct object:

• Prendere in giro qualcuno = to make fun of someone
• Mi stai prendendo in giro? = Are you kidding me?

Can I say prendere tuo cugino in giro instead of prendere in giro tuo cugino?

Yes. Both orders are possible:

• More common: prendere in giro qualcuno
• Also acceptable: prendere qualcuno in giro The first is the standard set phrase and sounds a bit more natural.

Why is there no article before tuo cugino?

With singular, unmodified close family members, Italian normally drops the article:

• mio padre, mia sorella, tuo cugino

Use the article when:

• The noun is plural: i tuoi cugini
• It’s modified: il mio caro cugino, il mio cuginetto
• The possessive is loro: il loro cugino

How would the sentence change for a female cousin or multiple cousins?

• Female cousin: Per cortesia, non prendere in giro tua cugina.
• Multiple male/mixed: … i tuoi cugini.
• Multiple female: … le tue cugine.

How do I make the sentence formal?

Use Lei forms and suo:

• Per cortesia, non prenda in giro suo cugino. Even more polite:
• La prego, non prenda in giro suo cugino.
• La prego di non prendere in giro suo cugino.

Is per cortesia the same as per favore or per piacere?

They all mean “please,” with slight nuance:

• Per favore: neutral, most common.
• Per cortesia: a touch more formal/polite.
• Per piacere: also common; can sound a bit more emphatic or regional. You can also use Cortesemente, … for a formal tone.

Do I need the comma after Per cortesia, and can I move that phrase?

The comma is recommended because Per cortesia is a parenthetical politeness marker. You can also place it at the end:

• Non prendere in giro tuo cugino, per cortesia.

If I replace tuo cugino with a pronoun, where does it go?

With the negative tu imperative (non + infinitive), the object pronoun can go before or after the infinitive:

• Non lo prendere in giro.
• Non prenderlo in giro. Both are widely used; placing it before the infinitive is very common. In the affirmative tu imperative (without non), it must attach to the verb: Prendilo in giro!

Does prendere in giro always imply being mean?

Not necessarily. It often implies light teasing or “kidding,” but it can be mean-spirited depending on tone and context. Harsher options:

• deridere (to deride, formal/strong)
• sfottere (colloquial, can be rude) Softer options for friendly joking:
• scherzare (con qualcuno)

Can I use scherzare here?

It’s different. Scherzare con qualcuno = “to joke with someone,” not necessarily at their expense. Prendere in giro targets the person and implies teasing/mocking. So:

• Non scherzare con tuo cugino = don’t joke around with him (neutral)
• Non prendere in giro tuo cugino = don’t make fun of him

Why is it tuo and not suo?

• tuo = “your” (informal singular; addressing the person as tu)
• suo = “your” (formal, addressing Lei) or “his/her” So in the informal sentence we use tuo. Formal would be suo: Non prenda in giro suo cugino.

How do you pronounce key words?

Approximate English-friendly hints:

• Per cortesia: pehr kor-teh-ZEE-ah (the s often sounds like a voiced z)
• prendere: PREHN-deh-reh
• in giro: een JEE-ro (g before i = English “j”)
• tuo: TOO-oh (a single syllable glide in Italian)
• cugino: koo-JEE-no

Why is it in giro and not another preposition?

Because prendere in giro is a fixed idiom; in giro is the required collocation in this expression. Other idioms use different structures, e.g. prendere per il naso (to fool/trick someone).

Can I say “Stop making fun of your cousin” instead?

Yes. Natural Italian options:

• Smettila di prendere in giro tuo cugino. (informal)
• Piantala di prendere in giro tuo cugino. (colloquial)
• Formal: La smetta di prendere in giro suo cugino.