Learn Italian: Odio la gente invadente, vale a dire chi si impiccia. - I hate intrusive people, that is to say, those who meddle.

Odio la gente invadente, vale a dire chi si impiccia.

I hate intrusive people, that is to say, those who meddle.

Breakdown of Odio la gente invadente, vale a dire chi si impiccia.

whoever / the people who (the one who, those who)

vale a dire

that is to say

Questions & Answers about Odio la gente invadente, vale a dire chi si impiccia.

The current lesson is about altrui, but it isn't in this sentence. How could we use it here?

The verb impicciarsi (to meddle) often takes the preposition di followed by what you are meddling in. To use altrui, you could expand the sentence to: ...chi si impiccia degli affari altrui (those who meddle in other people's business) or ...dei fatti altrui. Remember that altrui is invariable and strictly placed after the noun!

What exactly is vale a dire, and how do I use it?

It is a fixed, highly common expression meaning "that is to say," "namely," or "meaning." It translates literally as "it is worth saying." You can use it in conversation or writing exactly like in altre parole (in other words) to clarify or rephrase a concept you just mentioned.

Why is the verb singular in chi si impiccia when the English translation says "those who"?

In Italian, the relative pronoun chi used in this general sense means "anyone who" or "the person who." It is always grammatically singular and requires a third-person singular verb, even when the most natural English translation is plural.

Why is the adjective singular in la gente invadente (intrusive people)?

Even though it translates to the plural word "people," the Italian word la gente is a singular feminine collective noun. Therefore, any articles, verbs, and adjectives modifying it—like invadente—must also be singular.