Breakdown of Che disastro! Non abbiamo mica fatto una figuraccia al colloquio?
non
not
avere
to have
che
what
fare
to do / to make
a
to / at
il colloquio
the interview
mica
not at all / it's not like
il disastro
the disaster
la figuraccia
the fool of oneself / the bad impression
Questions & Answers about Che disastro! Non abbiamo mica fatto una figuraccia al colloquio?
What exactly does mica add to this question, and why is there a non before the verb?
In questions, non ... mica is used to ask for reassurance when you suspect something bad might have happened. It translates well to adding "have we?" or "by any chance?" at the end of an English sentence. The non is required because mica is placed after the verb; together they mean "it is not the case that..., is it?".
What is a figuraccia and how does it relate to the word figura?
Figuraccia is formed by adding the pejorative suffix -accia to figura (impression or appearance). The phrase fare una figuraccia is a very common idiom meaning "to make a fool of oneself" or "to make a terrible impression".
Why is it just Che disastro instead of Che un disastro for "What a disaster"?
In Italian exclamations, you never use the indefinite article (a/an) after che. While English says "What a [noun]", Italian simply uses Che + [noun].
I usually think of intervista for "interview". Why is colloquio used here?
In Italian, intervista is strictly for journalistic or media interviews, like a reporter talking to a politician. For a job interview, a university admission interview, or a parent-teacher meeting, the correct word is always colloquio.
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